Officials said the first fire was reported at 11:48 p.m. Saturday at 19135 U.S. Highway 19 N. One resident was taken to the hospital for treatment. Investigators determined the fire began in the kitchen due to unattended cooking.

The second fire was reported at 3:51 a.m. Sunday at 1439 Cleveland Street. No injuries were reported, but five residents were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross. The cause of the second fire remains under investigation.

WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa

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Hernando County Fire Rescue crews worked to extinguish a wildfire on the Oak Hills Golf Course property after a permitted burn escaped and ignited a large brush pile.

Officials said the blaze started at 10059 Northcliffe Boulevard when a contractor conducting a Florida Forest Service-approved burn with an Air Curtain Incinerator lost control of the fire.

Firefighters are battling spot fires in the area, and the FFS-WFC is en route to assist. Smoke conditions are expected to persist until the fire is fully extinguished.

Air Curtain Incinerator burns are typically conducted in pits with air-assist devices that accelerate combustion at high temperatures, thereby limiting smoke impacts in surrounding areas.

WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa

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WCJB-TV ABC/CW 20 Gainesville

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Officials said that a boat had capsized near the A1A bridge. Upon arrival, crews reported that two people had made it safely to shore, while two others remained unaccounted for.

Fire rescue said that in response, the Coast Guard, Tequesta Fire, and Jupiter Police launched a coordinated search and rescue operation to locate the missing people and the overturned vessel. Fortunately, it was reported that the Coast Guard located the remaining two people and brought them safely to shore.

WPEC-TV CBS 12 West Palm Beach

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Fire officials warn that despite incoming rain; the fire danger will persist through the summer months. The prolonged dry conditions have left vegetation so dry that it can ignite, even as thunderstorms arrive.

“We’re getting into those summer months, a key portion of those thunderstorms is lightning, that’s when we are going to see an uptick in these wildfires,” a Florida Forest Service official said.

Many residents find the warning difficult to believe. Michael Kincaid, who was walking his dog when WINK News spoke with him, said the August fire outlook caught him off guard. “It’s kind of hard to believe,” Kincaid said.

But the dry shrubs, the missing trees, and the lack of rain brought the threat into focus for him. “There are electrical storms all the time, every night, throughout the summer, every day, you know. So that’s a major concern,” Kincaid said.

The new fire season outlook indicates that wildfire and hurricane seasons will overlap this year. Fire officials say they’re prepared to manage both threats simultaneously.

“It gets a little complicated when you have a hurricane and a wildfire at the same time. I don’t know that that’s occurred before, but we’re prepared,” the Florida Forest Service official said.

Kincaid acknowledged that the dual threats create a compounded risk. “They’re kind of just two separate threats that I look at, you know, separately, but once you compound them, then, yeah, that seems like a major, major issue,” Kincaid said.

Fire officials say this could be a historic year for wildfire risk in Southwest Florida, something not seen in the last 20 or 25 years. The combination of extreme drought conditions and the arrival of lightning-heavy summer storms create an unusual and dangerous situation for the region.

WINK-TV CBS 11 Fort Myers

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According to the Cape Coral Fire Department, no one was home at the time, and a neighbor called 911 after seeing that the garage was on fire. Fire officials said multiple vehicles were in the garage, and crews kept the fire from spreading to nearby homes.

Cape Coral Fire also said the home is not a total loss, the garage was the only place affected, and the inside of the home wasn’t touched. The Lee County Electric Cooperative shut down power to the home.

The fire left neighbors shaken but relieved that the fire did not spread to nearby homes or the house itself. “I heard like a pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, and I’m like, what?” said Laurie Edwalds, a neighbor who ran outside to investigate.

Edwalds was one of several neighbors who rushed outside to see what was happening at the home. “I was literally in tears thinking somebody is losing their home, my neighbor is losing their home. And it just, it was overwhelming. I did cry,” Edwalds said.

Fire officials said the blaze took time to extinguish but did not spread beyond the garage.

WBBH-TV NBC 2 Fort Myers

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WCJB-TV ABC/CW 20 Gainesville

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First responders are the people who face challenging and dangerous situations. They commit to a life of service and helping those in need. However, the constant exposure to traumatic scenes, combined with severe exhaustion and an unpredictable schedule, can often place an emotional burden on them.

Two retired firefighters from Central Florida say they know the weight of the duty all too well. “Folks will call 911. We show up, and we fix problems, and it’s very hard for us to admit that sometimes the problem we may have is our own problem, and that we need help because we are the helpers,” said Joe McCluan, retired district chief of the Orlando Fire Department.

Joe McCluan and Chris DeMaagd spent a combined 63 years responding to emergency calls. They started in Seminole County and ended in Orlando. Though they no longer wear a uniform and heavy gear to save lives, now, they’re using a bench at Lake Baldwin in Orlando.

“It’s going to take everything, like what we’re doing here, and more treatment centers, less stigma, more people talking about this,” said DeMaagd, a retired firefighter from the Orlando Fire Department. McCluan and DeMaagd started The Bench 988 project after two of their fellow firefighters died by suicide.

“If you’re struggling and you need help, you want help, you can reach out to a fellow firefighter, or peer, and say, ‘Hey, Joe, can you meet me at the bench?’ And that’s all you have to say. If I hear you say you need me to meet you at the bench, that means I know you’re struggling and you need some help,” McCluan said.

Statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration show nearly 30% of Florida’s first responders will develop behavioral health conditions, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, first responders are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength because it’s allowing you to reach out and say, ‘I need to do something,’ and just like a physical injury, if you get hurt and you have to go for rehab for a couple weeks, this is a stress injury,” said Dr. Deborah Beidel, the executive director of UCF RESTORES.’

WESH-TV NBC 2 Orlando

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A few structures were in danger from a possible spread of the fire, but there are no damaged structures reported, the fire district said. According to the Florida Forest Service, the fire is an acre and 20% contained as of 4:30 p.m. The fire district said the incident appears to be under control. Crews are mopping up hot spots.

There are multiple roads closed in the area of the fire, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is assisting with the closures due to emergency vehicle presence. The roads impacted include Sunrise Boulevard, Grant Boulevard, Genoa Avenue South, Barcelona Street East, Belmont Street East, Binkley Street East and Andalucia Avenue South.

WBBH-TV NBC 2 Fort Myers

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On Tuesday, Bay District Schools and Gulf Coast State College launched the district’s first CTE Fire Academy for the 2026-2027 school year. Now, 9th and 10th graders at Rutherford can earn credit toward firefighter one certification, completing 191 instructional hours before graduation.

“The whole premise behind it was to make sure our children have a career opportunity, and also that Bay County will have a group of individuals to hire from our own community,” said Daniel Raffield, Bay County Commissioner.

Bay County Commissioner Daniel Raffield says the idea was born out of the need for more local firefighters. About 55 students have signed up so far. “People often times go far looking for a job; this will keep our young people here in Bay County, just to give them another career field, also it helps strengthen the workforce that we have here in the county and throughout,” said Raffield.

Once they finish the program and meet state requirements, graduates can move on to firefighter two, being one step closer to becoming paid, certified firefighters in Florida.

“‘I think it’s going to be a good opportunity for the school to use as a recruiting tool to bring kids in, I think it’s a school that, since the storm it’s been trying to find its way, so I think it’s a great opportunity to recruit some really good students,” said Jonathan McQuagge, Rutherford’s incoming principal.

McQuagge says the program will start with two full classes and then hopefully grow to having a full schedule every day. Rutherford will be the first campus to offer the program, with plans to eventually expand into other first responder fields — including EMS, law enforcement, and emergency communications.

WJHG-TV NBC 7 Panama City

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The blaze, which sparked Sunday afternoon near Mack’s Fish Camp, is affecting a pretty wide swath of western Broward County, stretching from U.S. 27 north through Pembroke Pines, with thick gray smoke blowing right toward Alligator Alley.

Crews from multiple fire agencies geared up for another day of battling the “Max Road Fire.” Monday afternoon, officials with the Florida Forest Service said the brush fire has now burned more than 11,000 acres and is 60% contained.

“Those wildfire firefighters from the Florida Forest Service have all those on the ground working operations, but then we’re also working in conjunction with Broward Sheriff’s Office Aerial Resources, making water drops with them and then also National Guard,” said Michelle Danielson, senior forester at Florida Forest Service’s Everglades District.

WSVN-TV FOX 7 Miami

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Named for the former Niceville mayor and firefighter, the foundation raises money for public safety programs. The grant will kickstart the fire department’s paramedic program. Once up and running, firefighters will be able to offer the same lifesaving services performed by EMS.

“It’s evolved a lot in the last several decades,” said Chief Alex Kukulus, Niceville Fire Department. “Nowadays, nationally and within our organization as well, 85 to 90 percent of our call volume is medically-oriented. And so given that that much of what we do is about EMS, we ought to be really good at that and do the best we can and provide the highest level of service.”

Chief Kukulus says 80 percent of his firefighters will be paramedic-certified. Training will begin in June. Departments from Fort Walton Beach, Holley-Navarre and Valparaiso will also receive the training.

WEAR-TV ABC 3 Pensacola

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