River Ranch fires fully contained after burning hunt camps and a Forest Service bulldozer

The nearly 4,500-acre brushfires in South River Ranch have been 100% contained, but not before damaging a Florida Forest Service bulldozer, leveling an untold number of hunt camps and sending two firefighters to the hospital on precautionary visits.

“The recent rain over the River Ranch Complex Fire and the work done by the Florida Forest Service has resulted in the River Ranch Complex Fire being 100% contained,” Todd Chlanda, a Forest Service spokesman, said in the release. "This means that the fire has containment lines around the entire fire. There are still areas inside those containment lines where there may be some smoldering of vegetation.

Chlanda said the fire won't be considered controlled until there are no more hot spots or smoke visible across the area.

“Fire personnel will continue to maintain containment lines and mop up any hot spots," he said.

The firefighters in the Forest Service Task Force units that converged on River Ranch last week to battle the blazes were released Thursday.

The investigation into the cause is continuing and could take several weeks because of the size of the fire, the Forest Service said.

Chlanda confirmed Thursday that a bulldozer was among the casualties of the wildfire, and an investigation will determine whether the piece of equipment is repairable.

He said the money spent to control the fire and the number of hunt camps that burned will also be part of the investigation once the fire is completely extinguished.

Chlanda said the River Ranch fire was among the five largest fires in Florida in the past eight years. He added a 2017 6,500-acre fire also in River Ranch that started along County Rod 630 was larger than this year’s wildfire, which can be good for nature even though they are devastating to most people. That’s why the Forest Service conducts prescribed burns.

“Florida’s ecosystem is fire dependent,” he said. It’s nature’s way of removing dead leaves, pine needles and other vegetation and the burnt landscape provides habitat for certain plants and animal species such as scrub jays and some endangered species along the Florida ridge.

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County Road 630 was opened on Wednesday after being closed to non-local traffic for several days to allow for firefighting equipment to maneuver in and out of River Ranch. Still, the Forest Service said drivers should be vigilant about smoke conditions along the roadway, especially at night.

“Even with the recent rainfall, the Florida Forest Service is still asking people to be cautious with any outdoor activities involving an open flame, or activities that cause sparks,” Chlanda said.

Polk County remains under a burn ban enacted on May 28. At the time of the ban, most of the county averaged a 507 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, indicating a moderately high risk of brushfires. As of Thursday afternoon, recent rains had lowered Polk County's measure to the 300-399 range, according to a Forest Service map.

So far this year, there have been 1,355 wildfires in Florida burning 30,799 acres, according to the Forest Service.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: South River Ranch fires 100% contained, but still burning