PALM CITY, Fla. — Fire crews in Martin County are still working to put out a major brush fire that broke out on Friday afternoon near the Stuart West Community in Palm City.
The smell and scene of thick smoke filled the area Sunday morning.
The fire burned through just under 250 acres total. Martin County Fire Rescue said it’s one of the largest active fires in the state and one of the most significant because of the proximity to homes.
Florida Forest Service took the lead with the help of Martin County Fire Rescue. The Martin County Sheriff's Office had their helicopter doing water drops over the weekend.
“They have plow lines around 90% of it. We’re out here working hand in hand with them just putting water on the hot spots making sure there’s no flare ups. Obviously, our main goal is to protect the houses,” said Martin County Fire Rescue District Chief Joshua Shell.
🚨 UPDATE on MCFR’s Firefighting Near Stuart West 🚨
— Martin County Fire Rescue (@MartinCountyFR) June 1, 2024
We continue to overhaul the area & watch for spot fires. We have 2 engines, 2 brush trucks, 1 tanker & a Battalion Chief on scene.
Per the Florida Fire Service, which is leading the operation, the fire is 90% contained. pic.twitter.com/NTfnFgoZXq
Martin County Fire Chief Chad Cianciulli spoke with WPTV about the work they are doing to help put out the brush fire as quickly and safely as possible.
"We'll be here for the next few days just making sure that we’re doing a lot of spotfires and making sure that we do not have any embers that are crossing over," Cianciulli said.
As of Sunday morning, the fire is 95% contained.
While the fire is under control officials warn that residents shouldn’t let their guard down.
"There's going to be hot spots. Just because we have it contained, that does not mean that the fire is out inside of the black area, which means it's burned," Martin County Fire Rescue District Chief Joshua Shell said. "There is less fuel for it to move. We're saying if you see anything outside of those lines to call 911."
Several homes were asked to evacuate out of caution but have now been cleared to return home. There have been no reports of damaged homes and no threats to any homes or property.
