Fires near River Ranch have burned 4,500 acres but are 50% contained

At least 4,500 acres have been destroyed by brushfires near River Ranch in eastern Polk County in the past two days, but thanks to a little rain and firefighters' efforts, the fire was 50% contained as of Friday afternoon, according to the Florida Forest Service.

Todd Chlanda, a spokesman for the Forest Service, said in a 3 p.m. update on Friday that fire-containment efforts continued through the night and into Friday morning, with "fresh personnel starting their day at 6 a.m."

He said the Forest service currently has eight tractor/plow units, three heavy tractors, eight brush trucks and about 10 support personnel on the fire. He said two task force units are still committed to the fire, and Polk County FireRescue has units providing structure protection.

Forest Service helicopters made 185 bucket drops on the fire on Thursday.

Chlanda said most of the fire activity is confined to a hunting portion of the area, or a wooded area without camps. He said their investigators are on scene and have begun an investigation into the cause and damage.

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Chatter on social media on Friday said the main gates to River Ranch had been closed but reopened today. Several members of River Ranch Facebook groups reported a gun club in the area had burned down.

Chlanda confirmed the River Ranch gate had been reopened. He said County Road 630 East is open to local traffic only, as the Forest Service uses it to move firefighting equipment in and out of the area.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Forest Service says 4,500-acre fire near River Ranch is 50% contained