Big Cypress Preserve fire now 40 percent contained

OCHOPEE, Fla. A wildfire burning an estimated 25,365 acres in the Big Cypress National Preserve is now 40 percent contained, a National Park Service spokeswoman said Friday night.

Fire personnel used drip torches and a helicopter to “burn out” along Monument Trail and those operations added to the total acreage.

“We have had great cooperation from local and regional partners” said Jay Thatcher, one of the incident commanders. “We could not have made the progress we’ve made without their help.”

The Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes, Florida Division of Forestry, Greater Naples Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service, the Collier County Sheriff Department and Florida Highway Patrol are all working to contain the blaze, which started Mar. 18.

“Firefighters are using both natural and human made barriers to contain the fire’s spread,” Big Cypress superintendent Tamara Whittington said. “Fire is an essential component of the Big Cypress ecosystem. In the long term, the fire will benefit the ecosystem by renewing habitat and promoting ecological diversity.”

The park service is referring to it as the Parliament Fire.

Visitors and travelers should still expect to smell and see smoke along U.S. 41 and State Highway 29. There is also extra fire traffic in the area, so motorists are advised to use caution when traveling through the preserve.

Another blaze, called the Greenup Fire, began last Thursday in the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation and the northeastern portion of the preserve. It spanned an estimated 162 acres and was 60 percent contained this past Sunday night, McLane said.