High fire danger continues for Southwest Florida after Bonita Springs brush fire

Southwest Florida is once again in the red for high fire danger.

This is a day after a brush fire in Bonita Springs had people concerned they might have to evacuate.

On Monday, firefighters were back out there hoping to extinguish any new hot spots. It’s so dry out that a single spark could reignite the fire.

The blackened trees and the dark ground are not pretty for most, but it’s something that Tripp Allen likes to see on his hikes.

“For me personally like coming out here to go hiking and whenever there’s a fire or afterward, it really opens up a lot of the ground scrub area,” Allen said.

Allen explores the area on his one-wheeled skateboard. The dry ground is good for his adventure.

“I mean just general safety, stay away from the smoke,” Allen said.

Smoke and fire engulfed the 120 acres of land over the weekend. Because of the dry conditions, the fire spread fast.

“So this is the Melaleuca bark, very paper, it’s very easily combustible and whenever you have large patches of this it creates a lot of firebrands,” said Ryan Mason, with the Florida Forestry Service.

The Florida Forestry Service has not yet pinpointed what started the fire in Bonita Springs, but the fire chief knows there are precautions to take to avoid another one.

“Just take the extra precautions, put out your cigarette butts, what you’re throwing out, watch yard to be, no yard burning, anything like that,” said Greg DeWitt, fire chief for the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District.

If you see flames, the Forestry Service wants you to call them and then stay out of the way.

“That’s the big one,” Mason said. “Give us room to work.”