June 26, 1998--8 a.m.
Cindy Hancock Finney
Community Information SpecialistFIRES 40 PERCENT CONTAINED; FIRES IN LAKE HARNEY BEING MOPPED UP
Firefighters Friday morning said the wildfires which have consumed some 60,000 acres here are about 40 percent contained, with two or three fires in the Lake Harney area now completely under control.
"We expect this to be a good day," said Volusia County Deputy Fire Chief Jim Mauney. "Obviously we still are very concerned with the possibility of more fires being started by lightning strikes. And the battle is far from over. But the Lake Harney area fires -- about 700 acres total -- are being mopped up.
We’re going to win this," he added. "It’s just going to take some more time."
No new injuries or structure damage has been reported. Ten people spent the night in three shelters, which remain open. No roads are closed at this time.
Firefighting efforts today will continue to concentrate on the Lafayette Landing fire, now a huge blaze stretching across the center of the County from below State Road 44 in the south to State Road 40 in the north and bounded on the west by Hwy. 11. The strategy is to "backfire" the left side of the fire, weather permitting, Mauney said. This will include an aerial drop of ping pong sized balls which would ignite on impact and burn outward to consume the fuel of the encroaching fire. This drop has been planned for several days. Flying conditions will determine if it is made today.
Another key fire is the one in the State Road 40/Buckskin Lane/Rodeo Acres area west of State Road 40. No homes are threatened at this time. Firefighting efforts also will concentrate on building a fire line west of the Hunter’s Ridge subdivision, which is east of the Plantation Pines area on the north side of S.R. 40. A concern is to prevent a merge from a fire encroaching south from Flagler County.
Residents of the Plantation Pines subdivision south of S.R. 40 and west of Ormond Beach, who were evacuated Thursday, were allowed to return to their homes last night, but were advised to remain on alert. Fire officials stressed that the residents were not in danger from fire, but were evacuated solely to protect them from being injured by aerial water drops.
Mauney emphasized that fire crews remain focused on a simple goal: prevent public injury and save structures. From that standpoint, the effort has been 100 percent successful.
"Our people, along with the many firefighters from all over the state and the country, have done a tremendous job," he said.
The number of firefighters on the scene Thursday was 688.
Stetson University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will house fire crews and support personnel from out of the area.
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