Fire in Seagrove

Update:

Apparently there is a 400 acre controlled burn South East of Christian International.

400 acre?

They did the same thing just north of Publix on the west side of 395 maybe a year or 18 months ago. You can still see the charring on the bark of the trees.

I wonder if this one is going to mess up the walking trails that cut through much of the forest between 395 and Eastern Lake.

Good question. It should not affect the trails as the weather conditions are good to allow the division of forestry to conduct what is called a "prescribed burn". The controlled burns help keep down the vegetation that over time impede things like the walking trails as well as reduces overgrown vegetation that burns out of control during lightening strikes and carelessness. It should make for a safer SOWAL.

They burned back where part of that trail is a few years ago. It was fine afterward, in fact it was fun to walk it and see all the new plants that came up.

I remember the fire in Seagrove last summer. Some of the best flying by pilots I have seen. The King Air flew spot as the Areo Tanker was about a half mile behind. I watched the drops from 1 Seagrove Place. The tanker was flying around the 8th floor on the drop runs. What is interesting is that this tanker is based in CA. The state dials 911 when this area is in danger.

I remember the fire in Seagrove last summer. Some of the best flying by pilots I have seen. The King Air flew spot as the Areo Tanker was about a half mile behind. I watched the drops from 1 Seagrove Place. The tanker was flying around the 8th floor on the drop runs. What is interesting is that this tanker is based in CA. The state dials 911 when this are is in danger.

That tanker was LOOOOOWWWW. I was over by that new 4-story condo thing across from Cocoon's and it disappeared behind the condo on the pass when they made the drop.

Sure was, I'm pretty sure the pilot was blond when it went over my office.

This is the time of year that Forestry does all the control burns around here. You should be seeing more of them in the coming months.

in fact it was fun to walk it and see all the new plants that came up.

And it is AMAZING how fast a palmetto bush will come back,isnt it?

the burns are great as long as they're kept under control. i'm reminded of the one west of western lake a few seasons ago, and last year's south of 98 between 395 and 283. these two were seemingly under their own control.

Sure was, I'm pretty sure the pilot was blond when it went over my office.

I remember the fire in Seagrove last summer. Some of the best flying by pilots I have seen. The King Air flew spot as the Areo Tanker was about a half mile behind. I watched the drops from 1 Seagrove Place. The tanker was flying around the 8th floor on the drop runs. What is interesting is that this tanker is based in CA. The state dials 911 when this area is in danger.

The residential area in Seagrove which was burning, was very fortunate on that day. I don't recall reading the behind the scenes story of the US Forestry Dept's DC3 which seemed to appear on the Seagrove scene within minutes, from the start of the fire, even though it was coming from far away in Florida. What most people don't know is that the DC3 was already in flight to the 3280 (Freeport) fire, when EOC contacted them. The plane dumped only half of their load on the 3280 fire, which helped the firefighters in that area greatly, as they were getting creamed by the blaze. After dropping half their load in Freeport, the pilots of the DC3 headed to Seagrove and dumped the remainder of the load, likely saving the remainder of the homes. Firefighters in Freeport waited a few hours for the plane, and the firefighters in Seagrove waited only minutes. Call it luck on an unfortunate day.

South Walton County is the #1 "tinder box" in the state. Prepare for numorus prescribed burns this season.

I want to applaud the Forestry Dept for doing prescribed burns, as I think they are extremely beneficial, and if it weren't for man, fires would naturally spark on occasion. When man builds homes and prevents natural fires in order to protect homes (nothing wrong with that), fuel sources will build up on the forest floor, and when a fire does break out, it will be out of control and ironically, the homes which man was trying to protect, will burn. Prescribed burning burns up that fuel source on a regular basis so that fires can become more manageable when they do occur.

About ten years ago, I was hiking in Colorado for a few weeks, near Leadville, Snowmass, Aspen, etc. At some of the lower elevations, the forest floor was covered in hundred year old trees lying down (potential fuel source for fires). I think it took me about 10 hours of hiking to travel only a couple of miles when I was climbing over huge fallen trees, carrying a 60# pack. It occurred to me that all of the Smokey preventing forest fire commercials, may not be such a great thing. Fires need to happen frequently enough, so that they burn up the smaller fuel source, rather than stockpiling the fuel for the fire that takes out most of the western USA.

About ten years ago, I was hiking in Colorado for a few weeks, near Leadville, Snowmass, Aspen, etc. At some of the lower elevations, the forest floor was covered in hundred year old trees lying down (potential fuel source for fires). I think it took me about 10 hours of hiking to travel only a couple of miles when I was climbing over huge fallen trees, carrying a 60# pack. It occurred to me that all of the Smokey preventing forest fire commercials, may not be such a great thing. Fires need to happen frequently enough, so that they burn up the smaller fuel source, rather than stockpiling the fuel for the fire that takes out most of the western USA.

The fire danger in Colorado is even worse now because the pine beetle is killing huge areas of forest! There are now entire mountainsides of dead trees. The fire danger is not helped by people who won't comply with recommendations to trim trees and brush around their homes and the constant building of condos w/ evacuation routes that cannot even begin to handle the volume (sound familiar?).

South Walton County is the #1 "tinder box" in the state. Prepare for numorus prescribed burns this season.

Well I did see them last year trying to do the area north of Publix but we had had alot of rain and they couldnt get it or the one of Bay drive to hardly burn. I would imagine those 2 areas will be on the list again this year. I shudder to think what would happen if they didnt do these burns.

You won't too long this year. DOF is working with the SWFD to do prescribed burning in this area as well in the coming months. Stay tuned...

seems like they have cranked this one, or one close to it,up again today.

There are several burning today. Saw one towards Niceville and the one in Seagrove.

Yeah the one in Seagrove you could see from a distance, but if you were in Seagrove you could only smell it.

Anyone else smell smoke in Seagrove this evening??

Smell it? I am choking on it! We are contemplating a hotel for the night. Terrible headache, kids are coughing. Hate to be unpopular, but I think they are a bunch of numbskulls for burning when the wind is blowing toward homes. We met a couple of these firebugs with their walkie talkies, and trucks, wearing a hundred pounds of garb. Have they ever heard of the weather channel?

Smell it? I am choking on it! We are contemplating a hotel for the night. Terrible headache, kids are coughing. Hate to be unpopular, but I think they are a bunch of numbskulls for burning when the wind is blowing toward homes. We met a couple of these firebugs with their walkie talkies, and trucks, wearing a hundred pounds of garb. Have they ever heard of the weather channel?

Unfortunately, no matter what direction the wind blows, it will be inconvenient to someone's home.

Where are you that you're indoors and affected that badly? I'm in Seagrove and there isn't even a smoke smell.

The smoke is very thick and the smell is really strong in a very small part of Seagrove from The Gourd Garden to Eastern Lake. When heathernken says they are choking on it, believe them. I have a terrible headache as well and contemplated leaving for the night.

Unfortunately, no matter what direction the wind blows, it will be inconvenient to someone's home.

Where are you that you're indoors and affected that badly? I'm in Seagrove and there isn't even a smoke smell.

Eastern Lake