Hillsborough County Fire Rescue crews had a hectic afternoon yesterday as they responded to a large brush fire in Plant City. Initially reported by WFLA, the fire was estimated to cover 100 acres. It began as a controlled burn that swiftly spiraled out of control, authorities said.
The fire spread on both sides of Henry George Road, confined between the south of Old Hopewell Road and north of Keysville Road, according to HCFR. In an effort to rein in the blaze, nearly 30 units rushed to the scene. The Florida Forest Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, providing aid, found the fire eventually contained near Henry George Road.
No structures were damaged in the firefight, nor were there any reports of injuries. This was echoed by reports from Bay News 9, which detailed the containment of the brush fire that had grown to 1,200 acres before successfully being brought under control shortly before 5:30 p.m. yesterday.
"Crews from the Florida Forest Service are actively plowing containment lines east of Henry George Road to secure the perimeter and prevent further spread of the fire," HCFR stated, as mentioned in the Bay News 9 report. The fire, which started from an authorized controlled burn, was raging on both the east and west sides of Henry George Road, officials said.
Further information was provided by ABC Action News. They reported that unscheduled alarms began sounding just before 2 p.m. Tuesday when multiple 911 calls captured an unauthorized controlled burn that had gotten out of hand. Coordination became the byword as HCFR utilized 29 units on the scene along with the Florida Forest Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for aerial water drops using Bambi Buckets. Local roads were closed until further notice but have since been reopened, as the fire did not damage structures and no injuries were reported.
