Firefighters quickly extinguish Buckingham brush fire

A spark, the cold and bitter wind is a dangerous mix that is the recipe for brush fires to start and spread. Early Wednesday morning, firefighters responded to a field on the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve North. Helen Johnson lives across that street.

“Back there, there’s no traffic,” Johnson said. “Not homes, so you wouldn’t think you know.”

It is a good thing someone noticed the flames and called the fire department. Our eyes in the sky, a WINK News drone, saw brave firefighters get the flames under control before an acre of torched earth turned into much more. The Tice Fire Dept. is still investigating the cause of the fire.

“It is a worry and a concern,” Johnson said. “Especially with the wind and the weather.”

Melinda Avni, with the Florida Forrest Service, which is part of the larger Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told WINK the dry season is their dangerous time of the year. They need your help in reducing the risk of sparks turning into wildfires.

“Same as with hurricane season,” Avni said. “Check around your property. If you have gutters around your home, any debris in there leafs little bit of twigs, get those cleaned out.”

Johnson said she had done that. Now, she and her neighbors are on the lookout because everyone knows there is no controlling mother nature.

“We’re all just keeping our eyes open,” Johnson said. “That’s about all we can do.”