Stubborn fires near River Ranch still smoldering and flaring up, but mostly contained

Although stubborn brushfires continue to burn in the River Ranch area of Polk County, the two worst areas are 75% and 90% contained and the fires have not spread beyond the 4,500 acres scorched last week, the Florida Forest Service said Monday.

“Fire activity on the River Ranch Complex Fire continues to hamper containment efforts,” said Todd Chlanda of the Forest Service. “Division A is still reporting 90% containment of their portion of the fire and Division B is still reporting 75% containment.

“Personnel are still battling minor flare-ups in Division B due to dry conditions and fuel loading,” he said.

The fires started to burn hundreds of acres Wednesday and quickly spread to thousands of acres in the far eastern portion of Polk County between River Ranch and Indian Lake Estates, even as firefighters from Polk County and across the state responded alongside the Forest Service, which typically responds to brushfires.

According to Polk County Fire Rescue, its role was to stand by in case structures and homes were threatened by fire. At one point last week, PCFR responded as a precaution to the Polk County Jail in Frostproof, said Nathaniel Gale, a spokesman for PCFR.

Chlanda said Monday the Forest Service will have six tractor/plow units, three heavy tractors, seven brush trucks and approximately eight support personnel on the fire.

“The two Task Force units are still committed to the fire,” he said. “Even with the fire activity, the acreage that burned remains at approximately 4,500 acres.”

The Department of Agriculture’s investigation into the cause is continuing. Its findings could take weeks to prepare and release because of the size of the fire.

Drivers in the River Ranch and Indian Lakes Estates areas should use caution in this area due to changing smoke conditions, Chlanda said.

Closed last week, County Road 630 is open to local traffic only between Walk in the Water Road and State Road 60, he said. Roadways may be shut down in the evenings depending on smoke conditions.

The Forest Service is still asking people to be extremely cautious with any outdoor activities involving an open flame, or activities that cause sparks (welding, grinding, etc.)

“We have received some rainfall but not enough to make a difference with the fire danger,” Chlanda said. “We need to receive substantial, widespread rainfall to reduce the fire danger in the area.

The Polk County fire ban issued May 28 remains in effect, a county spokeswoman said.

“It will take a lot of rain before the ban is lifted,” said Mianne Nelson, communications director for Polk County. “And, it will depend on where the rain falls. If one area of the county gets a lot of rain, but the numbers still remain high in most of the county, it may not be lifted right away.”

The day the ban went into effect, Polk County was averaging over 507 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which is a continuous reference scale used by the Florida Forest Service to assess the likelihood and severity of brushfires.

The burn ban prohibits:

• Campfires.

• Bonfires.

• Unpermitted controlled burns.

• Burning of yard and household trash.

• Burning of construction debris.

• Burning of organic debris.

• Fireworks.

• And noncommercial burning of materials other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, in which case they must be contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit, and the total fuel area cannot exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height.

On Sunday, the River Ranch Complex Fire that started on June 5 entered “the mop-up phase to combat any flare-ups as the containment lines are holding,” Chlanda said.

As of Saturday, the Forest Service’s Division B was “still showing some active burning with our crews still working on more containment lines," said Forest Area Supervisor Pete Lewis in a weekend update.

He added, "Our personnel have been putting in some long hours trying to protect property, and our lines are holding due to their dedication."

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: River Ranch mostly contained with flareups, but not spreading