SECOND major brushfire in southern Brevard County in less then a week

[BLSboy]

Links to GREAT pics and video

http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dl...GNEWS/60327008



Wickham Park fire grows past 50 acres

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Firefighters responded today to a brush fire that likely was deliberately set inside Wickham Park. The flames spread rapidly and burned close to homes on Croton Road.

The fire was reported about 10:50 a.m. near the soccer field inside the 391-acre park. Some 6 hours later, firefighters from at least three agencies were still battling the blaze. No one was injured, officials said.

A thick column of black smoke billowed over the scene as homeowners of the Croton Woods subdivision watched.

At 3:45 p.m., the fire had grown to between 50 to 75 acres in size -- about five times larger than it was three hours earlier. Firefighters were still working to control the southwestward movement of the flames.

"It's suspicious," said Melbourne police Lt. Ken Bale. "More likely than not, it was set."

"It's not under control now," said Battalion Chief Robert Apel of the Melbourne Fire Department.

Bale said a Melbourne officer "saw a kid who was seen coming out of the woods."

Police then interviewed three others who said two youths were acting suspiciously in the woods, Bale said. No arrests had been made as of this afternoon.

Melbourne requested assistance from the Florida Division of Forestry and Brevard County Fire Rescue, which were on the scene with a total of nine units, including five brush trucks.

Some of the flames reached the tops of pine trees -- about 30 to 40 feet tall. The campgrounds inside the park were evacuated.

A fire engine moved into the entrance of Croton Woods to begin a defensive perimeter against the flames.

Law enforcement authorities limited traffic on Croton Road and Parkway Drive to residents only, Apel said.

Melbourne fire officials did not immediately know the cause of the blaze. The fire was located near the soccer field, not far from a campground used by Boy Scouts.

Early this afternoon, three teenagers were interviewed by Melbourne police.

"They are not suspects but they are witnesses," said Greg Anglin, assistant chief of the Melbourne Fire Department.

Residents watch, worry

Pam DePietro, a resident of Croton Woods, watched with both concern and relief as the flames burned in the park across the street from her subdivision.

"We're happy about that (that winds were moving the flames away from Croton Woods)," she said as she stood on Torchwood Avenue.

But she was concerned that children might have set the fire.

"I'm worred about the kids; they get bored so quickly," DePietro said. "There are all kinds of bike paths back there."

Resident Tom Clare witnessed the progress of the flames from his Croton Woods home.

"My son spotted the fire from the back of our house," he said. "We just went running out of the house to find it."

Clare conveyed confidence in the face of the fire.

"I think we will be all right," he said. "We have some good firefighters."



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Contact J.D. Gallop at 321-242-3668 or jdgallop@flatoday.net

[BLSboy]

I wasnt at this fire, but sitting at the station listining to the radio, it sounded pretty hairy out there.