Hernando County Fire Rescue responded to the fire in the 4100 block of Burns Road. As of around 5:10 p.m. the Florida Forest Service says the fire has grown to approximately 12 acres and was about 5% contained.

Firefighters were using multiple resources to fight the flames, including four bulldozers, brush trucks and water tankers. A helicopter will also be making water drops to help contain the fire, according to FFS.

Officials are asking the public to avoid the area to allow emergency crews to work safely. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

WTVT-TV FOX 13 Tampa

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The Chlorine Institute organized the training April 14-16 in partnership with JFRD, the Northeast Florida Regional Council and TRANSCAER, a program connecting chemical industry experts with local first responders. CSX provided railcar equipment for hands-on exercises. About 150 responders participated, with JFRD HazMat members making up nearly half of each session.

Participants received classroom instruction on chlorine’s behavior, health effects and treatment, then worked hands-on with chlorine cylinders, tank car valves and ton containers. Field exercises simulated a railcar leak and a water treatment plant incident.

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The roadway had previously been blocked due to the wildfire.

Florida Forest Service officials responded to the fire near the intersection of State Road 26 and County Road 234 around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

They say the fire was 400 acres as of this report and 30% contained at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Six dozers were deployed to create containment lines around the blaze.

Alachua County Fire Rescue crews responded to assist the forest service.

Crews blocked State Road 26 between County Road 234 and U.S. 301 as they worked to contain the fire.

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The Florida Forest Service, Withlacoochee Forestry Center, and Pasco County Fire Rescue responded to a wildfire of unknown size near New York Avenue and Old Dixie Highway in Hudson, according to officials.

Crews worked to establish control lines as firefighting efforts continued. Resources on scene included four dozers, fixed-wing aircraft, Pasco County Fire Rescue units, and a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office helicopter conducting water drops to protect nearby structures.

Officials say the fire is now contained. Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties are currently under a burn ban.

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Lt. Dennis Derienzo said he flew for eight straight hours Monday with no breaks. The mission is repetitive and demanding: dip, fill, fly, drop and repeat.

The aircraft is equipped with buttons and screens. The Huey bucket can carry anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of water. Their largest aircraft can hold up to 10,000 pounds.

That weight shifts everything and throws off balance. Pilots train repeatedly because there is no room for error.

As they get closer to the fire, it’s not just what they see. It’s what they feel. “That aerial view in these helicopters, we knew it was bad,” Derienzo said. “It looks like a big, huge, super cell growing for us,” he said.

“You feel the heat, tremendous heat,” Derienzo said. “You smell it, taste it, your eyes are burning. You’re also trying to keep on to the mission. But when you have to get close to the firewalls, because that’s where the water needs to go.”

The water weight alone is tough, but wind gusts can push pilots off course mid-drop. Derienzo said the first day was brutal. Conditions improved with calmer winds, giving pilots better control over their drops.

WINK-TV CBS 11 Fort Myers

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The 2024 hurricane season showed the need for the department to make the investment for the community. Tropical Storm Debby brought flooding to Sarasota County that hadn’t been seen in decades.

The storm trapped people in their homes and led to hundreds of rescues. “Before we had tools and some tools, now we have the best equipment to do the best job to help the citizens,” Tim Dorsey, Sarasota County Fire Department assistant chief of special programs, said.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton followed Debby. Sarasota County was able to perform rescues, but with the help of the National Guard and outside agencies.

For the 2026 hurricane season, the Sarasota County Fire Department has added two new high-water rescue trucks, two jon boats, two inflatable Zodiac boats with double-stacked trailers and personal protective equipment for the emergency response fleet.

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Officials said the fire started in a booth on the exhibition hall floor. Sprinklers were activated in the area and extinguished the flames.

As a result, one booth was damaged by the fire, and nearby booths were damaged by water from the sprinklers.

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The fire is located in the Picayune Strand State Forest, south of I-75. This is all east of Forest Glen Golf & Country Club, south of the Alligator Alley toll plaza.

The Greater Naples Fire Rescue District and the North Collier Fire Rescue District are working with FFS to contain and extinguish the fire.

The fire is 1,733 acres and 60% contained as of the latest update from the Florida Forest Service, which was issued at 7:52 p.m. Tuesday.

The Florida Highway Patrol said there is smoke in the area near mile marker 98 on I-75. The Greater Naples Fire Rescue District said FFS has additional dozers that have come in from Central Florida and should arrive in the morning as well.

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The new schedule is known as a 24-72 schedule. Firefighters work a 24-hour shift and have 72 hours off. On the former schedule, the first responders worked 24 and were then off 48.

To support this change, 42 firefighters have been hired to work for Kissimmee Fire over the past seven months. Thirty-three people will be sworn in on Thursday ahead of the schedule change into their new roles, including 15 new hires, 10 promoted engineers and eight promoted lieutenants.

Chief Jim Walls said he thinks they’re setting an example for other fire departments to adopt the 24-72 schedule. “We’re the first Central Florida fire department to implement that schedule. So, I’ve shared our studies with a lot of chiefs around here,” Walls said. “So, everybody’s looking at it. It’s a very competitive market right now.”

Spectrum News 13

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Since noon Monday, crews have been fighting flames from the Picayune Stand Brush Fire. The fire is sitting at over a mile long as crews from agencies across Southwest Florida rush to help.

Homeowners and horse owners were evacuated along Benfield Road. The Florida Forest Service said wind is pushing back progress.

“When we have these winds that we’ve been having where they’re over 20 miles an hour, sustained winds that did not help with this fire, but you know, we’re going to continue to fight it until it’s out,” Jesse Lavender of the Florida Forest Service said.

Nearly 164 homeowners were told to evacuate. When they can come home will depend on when this fire is put out.

Meteorologists Lauren Kreidler and Josh Green said Collier County and much of Southwest Florida were under a moderate risk of fire danger on Monday due to breezy winds, dry air, and low humidity. 

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District 4 Commissioner Amy Lockart called the project a true milestone for both the community and the firefighters who serve it.

“Fire Station 25 is located right here in the heart of my district,” Lockart said. “Our firefighters and all of our first responders serve this community with professionalism, dedication and heart. And they take that responsibility very seriously.”

The current Fire Station 25 was built in 1975. At just over 6,000 square feet, it is one of Seminole County’s oldest and smallest stations, serving approximately 16,000 residents across more than four square miles along the State Road 436 corridor.

The new facility will be nearly twice the size of the current station, featuring three bays and capacity for up to 12 personnel, and will be home to the new Engine 25, a future addition to the fleet. The $12.2 million facility is expected to open in 2027.

Call volume at Station 25 has increased 35% over the past decade, with crews now responding to more than 5,400 calls annually — making it one of the busiest stations in the county’s system.

Fire Chief Matt Kinley framed the investment as a forward-looking commitment to the community.

“This new Fire Station 25 is being built to support the next 50 years of growth within Seminole County,” Kinley said, “and reflects the kind of forward-thinking investment in public safety that ensures we are ready to serve our community at their greatest time of need.”

WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

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The exhaust system of the car caught the dry grass beneath it on fire and later the car itself. The total area burned was 20.5 acres and the car was a total loss. Officials say that driving off designated trails is illegal on forest land and unwise.

Had the area not been surrounded by a dirt road system and if the response had been delayed, the area burned could have been larger.

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