Florida Officials Call Brush Fires Suspicious

March 23, 2006
Officials say four small brush fires were deliberately set in residential neighborhoods.

Palm Bay fire officials believe someone deliberately set four small brush fires in heavily residential neighborhoods Wednesday afternoon, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today .

The first fire was reported on a vacant lot just after noon with the others igniting within blocks of each other. The fires were concentrated around the areas of Waco Boulevard and Pasadena Avenue.

No homes or businesses were threatened, although some of the fires were across the street from residences, Florida Today reported.

"They are suspicious in nature because they were set within minutes of each other. We do have some descriptions of suspicious vehicles but they are vague," said Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Fire-Rescue Department.

One fire burned about a third of a vacant lot, Martinez said. "It's been dry and when you have dry conditions with wind, that's not good. A fire can spread quickly."

These fires follow several on Tuesday, including a 50 acre fire at a preserve in Melbourne Beach. Fire fighters were still on the scene of the beachside blaze this afternoon, wetting down the edges to make sure it doesn't flare up again.

Palm Bay officials are asking anyone with information on the fires to call police at 952-3456.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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