April 25--PALM CITY -- A Martin County Fire Rescue firefighter -- a female lieutenant -- was injured battling a brush fire off Southwest Citrus Boulevard that still was being contained late Friday.
She was standing on the back of a brush fire truck amidst heavy smoke when it slammed into a tree Friday afternoon. Fire Rescue and sheriff's officials rushed to help her as flames continued to jump from one palm tree to another.
The Florida Forest Service also continued to dump 320 gallons of water at a time from its Super Huey helicopter onto the brush fire as officials got the injured firefighter onto a stretcher.
She was transported by ground away from the brush fire and then airlifted to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce with a neck injury, said Fire Rescue spokesman Dan Harshburger. Her condition wasn't available late Friday.
Sheriff William Snyder said the "fast-moving, dangerous fire" began at about 2 p.m. and grew into a 7-acre brush fire by Friday evening. Several homes and many horses along Markel Street had to be evacuated. Sheriff's deputies rescued two dogs from a barn that was damaged.
As officials battled the blaze, firefighters reported an explosion from an RV with an LP tank.
State Forest Service officials used bulldozers to stop and contain the fire. Because of the smoky conditions, they also had a fixed-wing pilot flying above the brush fire to identify hazards and update firefighters, officials said.
The combination of low humidity and dense woods was making suppression challenging, officials said. New fires were being created as loose leaves that had caught on fire were being blown by the wind to fresh locations.
The Forest Service's helicopter made 28 drops -- a total of 8,960 gallons of water -- on top of the brush fire by the end of the day, officials said.
The brush fire was 90 percent contained as of Friday night, officials said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation, but officials already ruled out a control burn or a lightning strike.
Residents should expect smoky conditions in the area of the brush fire into Saturday morning.
Copyright 2014 - Treasure Coast Newspapers, Stuart, Fla.
