Fire in Topsail Hill State Park

[organicmama]

Wow - even with all of the rain we've had? So sorry for this news!

This end of the beach has had very little. Even when it was a crazy downpour in Seaside on Sunday, it was little to nothing over here.

 

[Kurt]

Fires ignite, spread with high winds | winds, fires, destin - News - Northwest Florida Daily News

Hours after a dead pine tree fell Wednesday along U.S. Highway 98, firefighters in South Walton County were plowing into the woods to put down a wildfire that burned through 100 acres at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.
The flames, one said, "just took off running."

And in Destin, where a 10-foot-tall pile of brush and clippings ignited behind Big Kahuna's water park, the wind sent smoke billowing over firefighters and U.S. 98.

No injuries were reported, but it was shaping up to be a long day at both sites.

"The embers are flying and catching the woods on fire and it's rapidly pushing deeper into the woods," South Walton Deputy Fire Chief Sean Hughes said of the flames at Topsail Hill on County Road 30A.

"In this case, if there's anything fortunate about it ... it is in wide-open land."

The fire ignited about 2 p.m., after a tree fell into a roadside power line. As firefighters put out those flames amid high winds, Hughes said they could see the woods also were about to ignite.

By early Wednesday evening, firefighters were deploying nine plows in Topsail's woods to contain the fire. Hughes said they had trouble in some swampy areas but planned to watch the site overnight.

The blaze behind Big Kahuma's also presented problems.

Destin Fire Chief Kevin Sasser said the debris pile, at about 150 feet long and 20 feet wide, was "on fire from one end to another" when firefighters arrived. They planned to tear it down because brush was burning deep within the pile. (Click here to see photos from the scene.)

The cause was unclear. It was possible that so much mulch packed over time could spontaneously ignite, Sasser said.

The wind out of the north was "feeding the fire quite a bit," Sasser said - away from neighboring town homes but straight toward firefighters and the rear of Big Kahuna's.

Workers at Big Kahuna's went through the park looking for smaller fires in case embers blew onto the property.

 

[Matt J]

Okay so was this ten (10) acres or one hundred (100) acres?

The Sun is reporting 100 acres and the news (Channel 7 NBC) is reporting 10.

 

[NotDeadYet]

I sure hope we get some rain before the weekend when the tourists will be showing up with their fireworks. Woods here in Seagrove are very dry.

 

[DuneLaker]

ABC and Channel 13 is running the story on the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park fire this am. Greg Sherrod, anchor, did a great job of mentioning South Walton several times. I had just tuned in at 6 a.m. and missed the beginning of the story and how many acres. Will have to watch again at 6:30 a.m.

 

[sunspotbaby]

Me & hubby were sitting out in the yard having an early cocktail, cloud watching, enjoying the breeze under the trees yesterday when all of a sudden, the clouds turned brown, then black!
I walked out to the street to get a better look and knew it was a big fire. Hubby drove out to 98, came back and told me to grab the camera and go. I had already called Lori (because Walton Outdoors is the source for everything outdoors) to inquire if there was a report of a wildfire.
Traffic was at a standstill going East. The fire was raging in the winds, and to see how high the flames were was frightening to me to say the least. So grateful it was on the other side of 98 and didn't threaten any structures.

P.S. Nice photo! ;-)

 

[organicmama]

I sure hope we get some rain before the weekend when the tourists will be showing up with their fireworks. Woods here in Seagrove are very dry.

Praying for some SERIOUS rain. Didn't even think about the tourists on a holiday weekend...

 

[Walton Outdoors]

okay so was this ten (10) acres or one hundred (100) acres?

The sun is reporting 100 acres and the news (channel 7 nbc) is reporting 10.

100;-)

 

[beachmouse]

Betcha that the state will somehow use this as yet another reason to close the US 98 entrance into the park permanently.

 

[sunspotbaby]

Aren't they already doing that with some stimulus money?? I don't understand why it costs so much money to close a road. Just close it.