South Fork High School to reopen Tuesday after 80-acre wildfire completely contained
South Fork High School will reopen on Tuesday after it was closed the day before "out of an abundance of caution" due to smoldering in the area and the "wind/weather variables."
An 80-acre wildfire in Stuart is now completely contained.
According to Florida Forest Service, the cause of Sunday's fire was due to a blown transformer.
Crews said the wildfire is currently not a threat to homes, but some power lines were damaged, knocking out power to several homes in the area. Power has since been restored to those customers.
Crews are expected to remain on the scene and will watch for flare-ups.
"Even though it is 100% contained, that does not mean that it is completely extinguished," Miguel Navarez, of the Florida Forest Service, told WPBF 25 News. "We’re going to be out here over the next several days mopping up putting water on spots that are still smoldering that may produce a bit more smoke."
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When the fire began, firefighters had to work to protect homes on Hawkview Circle in the Foxwood neighborhood. Currently, there is no more threat to those homes.
"It was really concerning because there were so many people going by and stopping and didn’t really know what was going on," said Raymond St. John, a resident.
Station crews initially responded to the 10000 block of Red Wing Drive just before 2 p.m. on Sunday for reports of a brush fire, where they found a 30-foot by 30-foot fire, which spread to brush nearby. The fire quickly grew to more than 80 acres.
Officials said the fire was completely contained by around 6 p.m. on Sunday.
"We want to make sure that any potential hotspots don’t turn into problem areas and start a fire backed up and spread potentially into neighborhoods," Cory Pippin of Martin County Fire Rescue told WPBF 25 News.
On Monday, firefighters were working with tankers to put water on any of those potential hotspots in the area.
"No damage to property, no injuries," Pippin said. "I really want to stress that that’s thanks to the fire crews that were on the scene making sure that the fire didn’t spread out of control."
Pratt Whitney Road was also closed in the area for several hours as a precaution.
The Hungryland fire also rekindled on Sunday, though crews were able to get it back under control. It is 100% contained, but fire rescue will return on Monday to prevent the fire from reigniting.
"Critical that people use caution in the area, pay attention to the surroundings," Pippin said.