Brush fires in Boca Raton and west of Wellington are turning skies smoky. What's going on?
BOCA RATON — A pair of unrelated outdoor fires in Boca Raton and west of Wellington are sending plumes of smoke skyward.
No injuries have been reported in direct connection with either of the fires, but homeowners and drivers have experienced clouds of smoke as far away as Interstate 95 and Delray Beach.
The first of the fires began far west of suburban Wellington on Thursday afternoon on Connors Highway. More than 20 acres of mulch being stored at a mulch facility started on fire and began to produce clouds of smoke. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue reported that the fire was contained as of Friday morning, but that it continued to burn.
The second of the fires began overnight Thursday in the Yamato Scrub Natural Area in Boca Raton, according to Boca Raton Fire Rescue. The brush fire grew to 10 acres on Friday and has been difficult for crews to put out because of the amount of brush and dry vegetation in the natural area.
Both fires have closed nearby roads because of poor visibility. Neither fire appeared to be extinguished as of Saturday afternoon. Gusty winds and little rain have worsened conditions at both of the fire sites.
Here's what to know about each fire:
Brush fire in Boca Raton was contained before it reignited
A person taking a morning walk on the El Rio trail Thursday morning first reported the brush fire at the Yamato Scrub Natural Area to Boca Raton Fire Rescue, according to the agency.
Nearly 50 firefighters faced a challenge when they arrived at the site behind the Costco wholesale store where the fire was burning: The sheer amount of dry plants and brush in the natural area were feeding into the fire.
Crews closed down nearby roads and contained the fire after more than two hours, according to Boca fire rescue.
But later that evening, the fire reignited and fire crews returned. The on-again-off-again brush fire has not caused any injuries, but fire rescue is calling the fire "dynamic" and reminded residents it's likely to change throughout the weekend.
On Friday, Boca Fire, Delray Beach Fire Rescue, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and the state Forestry Department were using drones to locate hot spots in the fire area and do controlled burns of other areas to eliminate new "fuel" for the fire.
Boca fire-rescue officials encouraged residents to avoid the area in a social media post Friday evening.
Fire at mulch facility west of Wellington now contained, but will continue to smolder
The fire burning west of Wellington has forced road closures near the Hatton and Connors highways, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
No buildings are at risk of fire damage, and fire rescue had more than 20 firetrucks and units committed to fighting the blaze earlier in the week.
On Friday, fire rescue announced the fire had been contained and that all roads were reopened. But the mulch's low moisture content was likely to keep causing problems.
"We expect these mulch piles to smolder and produce smoke over the upcoming days," a fire rescue spokesperson said in a written statement. "As long as there are fire breaks and no wind-driven embers to move beyond them, the piles will smolder in place."
"Just as in past mulch fires, the smoke levels may increase during the heat of the day and slow down as the evening progresses," according to fire rescue.
Fire rescue, local landowners and the state department of forestry plan to continue monitoring the fire.
Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca brush fire and Wellington mulch fire making skies smoky
