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Okeechobee County Fire Rescue reported several fires last week.
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OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee County Fire Rescue reported several fires last week.
On March 18, they were dispatched to the 15400 block of Northwest 312th Street regarding a brush fire at approximately 6 p.m. When they arrived, they found approximately an acre and a half of brush on fire which was started by a lawn mower. The property owner told them he was mowing when he turned around and saw the mower was on fire. A bystander with a skid steer had already made significant progress in extinguishing the fire. The crew was able to extinguish the remaining hot spots and stayed on the scene until the Department of Forestry arrived.
Also on the 18th, OCFR responded to assist the Buckhead Ridge Fire Department and Glades County Fire Department. They found a shed burned completely to the ground but minimal fire still remaining. Once the fire was out, Glades County took control of the scene. FPL arrived and made sure the power was off to the home. Further inspection revealed some melted plastic windows in the main house and in the home nearby.
A vehicle fire in the 13800 block of Northeast 56th Avenue was the first fire on the 19th. Crews were dispatched at approximately 2 p.m. When they arrived, they found a tractor fully involved in the middle of a pasture. The owner told them he was mowing the pasture when he saw smoke coming from the engine. The owner valued the tractor at about $80,000.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. on the 19th, they responded to Northwest 316th Street regarding an outdoor fire. When they arrived, they found a palm tree burning above a shed, and later found the shed was also involved. The homeowner told them the fire just got away from him.
On March 20, they responded to a small brush fire inside the FPL solar power field on East Center Street at approximately noon. When the crew arrived, they were unable to enter the area until FPL was able to deenergize the solar power equipment. Because they had to wait about 20 minutes to enter, the fire was able to grow to about five acres. Once the fire was out, they turned the scene over to the Saint Lucie County Fire Department and FPL.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on the 23rd, crews were dispatched to the 21500 block of Northwest 278th Street regarding a brush fire started by a lawnmower. While enroute, a rescue crew was also dispatched to care for a burn patient. The mowing company told them the man on the mower ran over a barbed wire with the lawn mower and it caught fire. They tried to extinguish the fire themselves but were unable to do so. The lawn mower had minor fire damage to the tires.
A structure fire took the attention of several units on March 23 at approximately 10:45 p.m. The fire was located in a single-story family CBS home in the 10600 block of State Road 98 North. Crews met with the homeowner, who told them a chicken coop under the overhang of the structure caught fire, but he was able to put the fire out before they arrived. The fire had burned some of the soffit and fascia of the roof. It was determined to have started from a heat lamp in the chicken coop.
In all, OCFR reported 158 incidents between March 18 and March 24. 112 of these involved EMS, eight were motor vehicle accidents, 13 fires and 25 miscellaneous.
