North Port Fire Rescue said very little rain and dry conditions made it easy for fires to start and spread within minutes.

Photos from the scene showed flames scorching parts of Myakka State Forest for hours Monday.

Several agencies responded and were able to get the fire under control. A day later, crews were still monitoring the area as wind conditions picked up and the risk of lightning strikes remained.

Scott Lane, deputy chief of operations for North Port Fire Rescue, said the fire was caused by lightning.

“The conditions are real dry. And with the way these conditions are right now, any little spark can start a fire,” Lane said. “Even though this was caused by lightning, this could have easily been caused by a cigarette or a catalytic converter or something like that.”

WWSB-TV ABC 7 Sarasota

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Pasco County Fire Rescue (PCFR) responded to the morning fire on the 3000 block of Peterborough Street.

Crews arrived in under three minutes to find heavy flames and smoke coming from the home, PCFR officials said.

All occupants had already escaped before firefighters reached the scene. Out of caution, some neighboring homes were temporarily evacuated. PCFR crews brought the fire under control, and no injuries were reported.

WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa

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On Tuesday, the South Trail Fire & Rescue District posted on its Facebook account about the Scottish firefighters’ excitement about the incoming match.

South Trail Fire said their visitors came bearing donuts and plenty of positive energy as they walked into the station’s bay.

Before the visiting firefighters left for Miami, South Trail Fire completed their visit with a parting gift—a traffic cone.

WINK-TV CBS 11 Fort Myers

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After his passing, Jay made one final sacrifice and was transported to Moffitt Cancer Center to donate his organs for cancer research.

Upon his arrival at Moffitt, members of Tampa Fire Rescue and the Temple Terrace Fire Department stood to honor him, and on the journey home, first responders lined Interstate-75 from Tampa to Charlotte County in salute.

Video of the tribute was posted to the Charlotte County Public Safety Facebook page, showing first responders lining up to pay respects to a “brother they may have never met but instantly knew,” according to the caption posted alongside it.

The Charlotte County Fire & EMS, along with his family, will honor Sander’s sacrifice and service during his Last Alarm, which will be held on Thursday, June 25.

WFLA-TV NBC 8 Tampa

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The Florida Forest Service said crews are battling a 240-acre brush fire in the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. As of 9:43 p.m. Monday, the fire was 95% contained, according to FFS.

Charlotte County Fire and EMS officials said crews were dispatched to the area of Oil Well Road at approximately 5:14 p.m. Monday. Firefighters found an approximately five-acre brush fire. According to FFS, the fire reached 75 acres and is 95% contained as of 10:36 p.m.; another has grown to 11.34 acres by Bermont Road and is fully contained, and a fourth fire grew to one acre by Granville Road.

Charlotte County Fire officials said no injuries have been reported, and no homes have been damaged at this time as crews work alongside the Florida Forest Service, DeSoto County Fire Rescue, Punta Gorda Fire, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

A containment percentage is not available at this time, Charlotte County fire said.

According to the Florida Forest Service, crews have battled three fires in Lee County.

As of approximately 9:54 p.m. Monday, FFS said an eight-acre fire ignited in the Yellow Fever Creek Preserve in Cape Coral and is fully contained; another has grown to three acres and is fully contained in the area of The Heritage community in North Fort Myers, and one near E 19th Street in Lehigh Acres grew to 0.25 acres and is fully contained.

WBBH-TV NBC 2 Fort Myers

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Katie Tupin said Sept. 26, 2024, is a day she will never forget. “The floods came in and half of my house filled with water in less than 20 minutes and that was around 5:30 p.m.,” said Tupin, a Manatee County resident.

Tupin watched flood waters enter her home under the doors. Twenty minutes later, water reached halfway up her house. “I truly didn’t believe it was happening, and I was standing there watching it,” Tupin said.

Tupin said she feared for her life, her husband and her pets during Hurricane Helene. “If we didn’t make it they were all going to drown in kennels and that was just devastating,” she said.

Manatee County Public Safety purchased the high-water rescue truck to better protect residents from flooding incidents in the future.

“There seems to be a lot more flooding in our county than we’ve had in the past, so being part of public safety, we felt the need to purchase this equipment so we could be prepared,” said Chet Brown, Manatee County Beach Patrol.

The vehicle can drive in 48 inches of water and carry approximately 30 people. The truck is faster than using boats and includes a liftgate feature on the back to assist people in wheelchairs. The county’s beach patrol will operate the vehicle during flooding emergencies.

“I think that’s wonderful that truck will be able to come in and help people we definitely could have used it,” Tupin said.

“It comes with a lot of bells and whistles on it but we are super excited we are happy to have it our staff is happy that they can assist getting the citizens the help they need in a bad situation,” Brown said.

WWSB-TV ABC 7 Sarasota

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“Despite the tireless efforts of medical professionals and the unwavering support of his family, his injuries proved to be insurmountable,” MCFR said.

The crash happened on June 14. “As an organ donor, Evan’s family made the courageous decision to honor his final wish to help others,” a news release says. Fire Chief James Banta said Evan dedicated his life to serving others.

“Even in the face of unimaginable tragedy, he continued that mission. In his last act of service, Evan saved multiple lives through his gifts as an organ donor,” Banta said. “His compassion, dedication, and commitment to helping others will never be forgotten. We ask our community to keep Evan’s family, friends, and our Marion County Fire Rescue family in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

WESH-TV NBC 2 Orlando

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A south-east wind direction has helped push the smoke and haze from the brush fires more inland so air quality has improved for much of Broward County, but there is an air quality alert in effect for Miami-Dade until 3 p.m.

The fire dubbed “Quarry 2,” east of Krome Avenue, has been the most widespread, burning 19,018 acres so far. It is 97% contained, while the Well fire, near Northwest 122nd Avenue, has burned 2,749 acres. It is 85% contained.

No road closures are currently in effect due to the wildfires. Airboat operators, meanwhile, told Local 10 News Monday that water levels are now too low to reach some of the burned areas.

The low water comes after months of wildfire activity across west Miami-Dade and the Everglades.

In April, the Highway 41 fire burned more than 9,000 acres along the Tamiami Trail.

Last week, the Quarry 2 fire grew west of Doral, and the Well fire ignited a day later nearby, burning nearly 3,000 acres.

As of this weekend, crews were still working to contain the Corrections fire in west Miami-Dade.

Back in April, Local 10 was able to ride through some of the areas impacted by the Highway 41 fire.

From the airboat, you could see miles of charred sawgrass and blackened vegetation.

On Monday, operators said some of those areas are too shallow to reach.

Firefighters have repeatedly pointed to dry conditions as a challenge in recent weeks. And those who spend their days in the Everglades say they’re seeing the effects firsthand.

For now, the same dry conditions that helped fuel recent fires are now making some of those areas impossible to reach — a reminder that in the Everglades too much fire often starts with too little water.

WPLG-TV 10 Miami

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The fire incident happened Sunday night, as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said they began receiving multiple calls reporting a house fire on 12th Street, indicating that a person was trapped inside.

Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy fire coming from the home, HCFR told 10 Tampa Bay News. Within five minutes, firefighters were able to find a man inside the home and were able to safely take him out of the burning house. HCFR added that firefighters had to navigate conditions in which smoke had banked to the floor throughout the residence.

HCFR says that crews were able to bring the fire under control in less than 20 minutes, noting that the man was taken to a trauma center in serious condition roughly 15 minutes after being rescued.

None of the firefighters sustained any injuries and HCFR confirmed that no other occupants were inside.

An investigation is ongoing as HCFR Investigations Unit works to determine what caused the fire.

WTSP-TV CBS 10 St. Petersburg

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So far, more than 2,200 fires have burned—not even halfway through 2026. The yearly average is just 2,400.

Brush fires affect every taxpayer, and being careless costs money. The total budget for the Florida Forest Service is more than $181 million, and another $5 million has been spent so far in 2026 combatting brush fires.

“This fire season has been the busiest in 15 years, approximately,” Kevin MacEwen, with the FFS, said. “(The) number of fires, (the) size of fires has increased our need to be ready.”

The agency is armed with 10 helicopters and nearly 100 bulldozers, but a powerful new tool is now helping firefighters stay ahead of the flames. It’s a drone.

It is capable of targeting certain areas and sees hot spots the naked eye can’t. It can also drop balls — about the size of a paintball — filled with chemicals that ignite fires to be used as flame barriers, stopping bigger fires in their tracks.

WPLG-TV 10 Miami

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MCFR crews were able to extinguish the fire at around 11 p.m. Firefighters asked the public to avoid the area while crews battled the blaze.

No one was hurt or transported. Flames were isolated to the roof, but a good amount of smoke made its way inside to the second floor, according to fire officials.

MCFR said the State Fire Marshal has been notified, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

WPEC-TV CBS 12 West Palm Beach

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MCFR officials say they were called to Ray Wayside Park after reports a of a boat carrying four people was taking on water while attempting to dock at around 9:30 p.m.

MCFR’s Special Operations team launched a rescue boat and was able to save all four people, and they made it back to shore safely.

All four people were evaluated, and there were no injuries to the four people or the firefighters.

Officials say incidents like this serve as an important reminder as boating activity increases during the summer months. They encourage boaters to take simple precautions before heading out on the water to help prevent emergencies.

“To keep up the maintenance on their boat, make sure all safety equipment is up-to-date and checked off, and not to boat under the influence during the holiday season,” said Sam Schulze with MCFR.

WCJB-TV ABC/CW 20 Gainesville

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