Could Florida fires possible like calif.

[jbartle1]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

[Battlebasset]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

Anything is possible, but not likely. We have lots of ponds and marshy land, and not the dry shrub stuff that CA has. And when we get high winds, chances are they are accompanied by downpours.

My personal observation - we are going to be seeing alot more CA license plates in the near future. This event for many people will be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and pushes many that were thinking about moving to go ahead and pull the trigger.

Not unlike what COVID did.

[PugMom]

all the controlled burns along sides of highways & public areas are proof that dead materials are being burned & disposed of properly. it's a comforting sight,...and smell :icon_wink:

[Pugchief]

My personal observation - we are going to be seeing alot more CA license plates in the near future. This event for many people will be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and pushes many that were thinking about moving to go ahead and pull the trigger.

Not unlike what COVID did.

There will be some, but it seems like most of CA's ex-pats settle in AZ, NV, ID and TX.

[Arlington2]

Back in the 90's I lived on the Fl East Cost below Cocoa. At that time there were frequent marsh fires along I-95 and 528 that resulted in road closures. I don't recall any significant marsh fires in the past several years. Fl must be doing a pretty good job of prevention.

[Velvet]

We have a lot of water. Swamps we call “preserves” etc. That’s why we have so many alligators. And then there is rain, sometimes it floods around here in TV. I think wildfires are rather unlikely.

[opinionist]

No nearby desert for hot winds to blow off from.
Drought conditions could raise the threat level.
No combination like California.

[Kenswing]

Our topography doesn’t lend itself to the cataclysmic fires that the west gets. An uphill, up canyon, wind driven fire is unstoppable. We just don’t have the mountains that make fighting fires in the west so hard to fight. We can get some wind driven range fires and fires in the wetlands that are difficult to fight from an accessibility standpoint, but we seldom see relative humidities in the 30 percent range. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in the teens or single digits. Take into account fuel moisture. California often experiences droughts. We’re pretty wet during our hot months.

[CrazyTiki]

I am a native Floridian and with the exception of the Florida Firestorm of 1998, we have never had those kinds of problems. The fires of 1998 were caused by an extreme drought in late spring of that year. In addition to our humidity, we have many natural fire breaks such as rivers and canals in addition to frequent control burns, especially down south in the glades.

[Taltarzac725]

I remember some smoke coming down to the Tampa Bay area due to wildfires to the northeast of there. That could have been the fires in 1998. Not sure.

[ScottPull]

Yeah, both California and Florida have insurance crises. In March, lots of people lost their houses and had their policies dropped in California. Similar things are happening in Florida. These are two high-risk states in regard to insurance.

[Mmgeaney]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???
I wondering if the county or the villages comes around and tests the fire hydrants occasionally? I remember my municipality in NJ would flush the hydrants.

[SoCalGal]

My personal observation - we are going to be seeing alot more CA license plates in the near future. This event for many people will be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and pushes many that were thinking about moving to go ahead and pull the trigger.

Can this link be opened without registering on the X platform? This is why Californians will pack it in and move to FL.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1878727092147462411

[Cuervo]

To answer your question anything is possible.
But if you have a fear, you could lose your home to a fire, there are steps you can take to make that less likely to happen.
I would check to see if your local fire department has any suggestions.
There is a fire-retardant paint, if you go onto YouTube or Google there are videos on how it works.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fire+retardant+paint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgxo4uQmYhk&ab_channel=UNSW

[aldeana]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

I remember that there were fires in the Everglades in the early 1990s, when Lawton Chiles was governor. Reports indicated that lightning was the likely cause.

[TomSpasm]

Shortly after moving to Northeast St. Petersburg in May, 1985, a wildfire broke out less than a mile from my apartment building, and we had several more over the next couple weeks until the rains came in June. In 1998, from May 30th to July 10th, 234,000 acres burned in Volusia and Flagler counties in Florida. Statewide, 500,000 acres were burned by 2,200 fires. So the short answer is, yes, fires can happen in Florida.

Source - Your browser is not supported | news-journalonline.com (https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2023/04/06/wildfires-of-1998-what-you-need-to-know-about-volusia-flagler-impact/70087932007/)

[MandoMan]

I am a native Floridian and with the exception of the Florida Firestorm of 1998, we have never had those kinds of problems. The fires of 1998 were caused by an extreme drought in late spring of that year. In addition to our humidity, we have many natural fire breaks such as rivers and canals in addition to frequent control burns, especially down south in the glades.

Are you suggesting that because it happened in Florida in 1998, it can’t happen again?

“ ...'The wildfires of 1998 brought another harsh reminder to the people of Florida of the power of natural hazards to destroy property, threaten safety, and cause untold human hardship. Overall, after the firestorm was finally extinguished, the event had caused one of the worst wildfire disasters in Florida's history, resulting in nearly 2,300 wildfires with almost 500,000 acres burned. Well over 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, and the value of lost timber exceeded $300 million.”

“ The 1998 Florida wildfires, sometimes referred to as the Florida Firestorm, was a wildfire event involving several thousand separate woodland and mixed urban-rural wildfires which wrought severe damage during the summer months of 1998. Wildfires sparked mainly by lightning threatened to converge into single, vast blazes, crossed natural firebreaks such as rivers and interstate highways, and demanded an unprecedented suppression response of firefighting resources from across the country.”

“ Florida had historically been considered as an area of lower susceptibility for wildfires, due to its high humidity and rainfall levels. An El Nino during the winter of 1998 produced above-average rainfall, which enabled extensive growth of underbrush and vegetation in the state's forests. In early April, however, the rains came to an abrupt halt, and the ensuing drought lasted until July. These months of continuing dry conditions saw the drought index rise to 700 (out of 800), indicating wildfire potential similar to that usually found in western states. Exacerbating the wildfire risk was the fact that development in Florida had proceeded with many new communities being built on former rural, wooded properties, often with heavy vegetation within feet of structures, and without municipal water systems and fire hydrants.”

1998 Florida wildfires - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Florida_wildfires)

[Arlington2]

I wondering if the county or the villages comes around and tests the fire hydrants occasionally? I remember my municipality in NJ would flush the hydrants.
Yes they do. I have a hydrant in my yard and they come around periodically to flush it out.

[Ptmcbriz]

No not on a scale like California. Their mountainous topography where many fires start with no access roads because they are so steep is where fires grow in size. The canyons help funnel high winds along with several days of hurricane winds (Santa Ana’s). Plus the land is covered in high oil content trees, eucalyptus, pine, manzanita. Combine that with no rain for 9 months creates fires uncontrollable.

Florida is flat which is easily accessible by strike teams and our winds come with heavy rains.

[Birdrm]

I wondering if the county or the villages comes around and tests the fire hydrants occasionally? I remember my municipality in NJ would flush the hydrants.
My father was a volunteer fireman in NJ, and yes they would go around and turn on each hydrant to check the water pressure!

[Regorp]

There will be some, but it seems like most of CA's ex-pats settle in AZ, NV, ID and TX.

A few celebrities have moved here, ie Sly Stallone, Scott Baio, Hannity, and Kayleigh McEnany, to name a few. There will be more due to similar climate and Florida is a friendly environment for movie companies.

[Jim1mack]

I wondering if the county or the villages comes around and tests the fire hydrants occasionally? I remember my municipality in NJ would flush the hydrants.

They do. As an 11 year resident I’ve observed it. Great management here in TV

[Mazjaz]

[QUOTE=jbartle1;2400762]With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???[/QUOTE

I am a retired firefighter and have a daughter who lives just north of LA. If you have ever been there, your first thought would this is a disaster waiting to happen. All the dry hills and homes nestled together seems a bit ridiculous. I was out there during the Malibu fire watching it burn in early December from her back yard 10 miles away.

[Zenmama18]

I am a native Floridian and with the exception of the Florida Firestorm of 1998, we have never had those kinds of problems. The fires of 1998 were caused by an extreme drought in late spring of that year. In addition to our humidity, we have many natural fire breaks such as rivers and canals in addition to frequent control burns, especially down south in the glades.

We were living near Orlando in 1998, it was a strange year. Early on in the year there was a lot of rain, then drought, then the fires, I think over a half million acres burned mainly on the eastern side of the state.

[midiwiz]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

this is why we have controlled burns in the state. Even though that is performed every year there might be one or two that sneak into existance. Typically over on the east coast of the state.

[Rodneysblue]

I wondering if the county or the villages comes around and tests the fire hydrants occasionally? I remember my municipality in NJ would flush the hydrants.
Yes they do. I have seen them checking hydrants it seems like annually.

[mnorton]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???
No fires like California will happen in Florida. We do selective burns, remove dried brush, and have multi millions of gallons of reserve water. Unlike the other state!

[Runway48]

If houses are packed in tight, the undergrowth and bushes have to be kept under control. It's nice to have the illusion of living in the wilderness but forest fires are part of the wilderness. In a community of tightly packed houses, once a house fire starts, and there are very strong winds, the houses become the fuel for the fire to spread rapidly (no trees or brush needed). It happened in Colorado a couple years ago. Wiped out an entire housing development. A similar event happened in the Coffey Park fire in Northern California several years ago. Though that was started by the Tubbs fire, once it hit the Coffey Park development it spread rapidly house to house. I think under the right combination of events TV could have a fire disaster.

[jimjamuser]

I doubt that we will have wildfires sweeping across Florida. But, in the summer with the increased temperature of the waters in the Gulf and Atlantic, we may get increased thunderstorms. Then more lightning could hit more Florida homes and cause fires for individual homes.

[jimjamuser]

I remember some smoke coming down to the Tampa Bay area due to wildfires to the northeast of there. That could have been the fires in 1998. Not sure.
One year we had smoke from fires in Southern Georgia blowing south as far as Tampa, I believe. I forget what year that was?

[jimjamuser]

Yeah, both California and Florida have insurance crises. In March, lots of people lost their houses and had their policies dropped in California. Similar things are happening in Florida. These are two high-risk states in regard to insurance.
The insurance companies know what the near future holds for hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes. It is affecting all states, not just Florida and California. We Americans seem to be trying to deny reality and therefore postpone solutions.

[Jerry101]

[QUOTE=jbartle1;2400762]With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???[/QUOTE

We were 2 of the millions impacted by the 1998 Florida fires!

1998 Florida wildfires - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Florida_wildfires)

[mraines]

The insurance companies know what the near future holds for hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes. It is affecting all states, not just Florida and California. We Americans seem to be trying to deny reality and therefore postpone solutions.
Not all of us.

[mraines]

I am a native Floridian and with the exception of the Florida Firestorm of 1998, we have never had those kinds of problems. The fires of 1998 were caused by an extreme drought in late spring of that year. In addition to our humidity, we have many natural fire breaks such as rivers and canals in addition to frequent control burns, especially down south in the glades.

I seem to remember some bad fires but don't remember the year. Had to be late 70's or early 80's. There were fires in the forest and my one daughter had spent the night there with a friend. I was freaking out. No cell phones back then.

[Bridget Staunton]

Like my hubby said. The Villages did a great job laying out the community. We have numerous retention ponds that they pump from in the event of fire

[Normal]

I am a native Floridian and with the exception of the Florida Firestorm of 1998, we have never had those kinds of problems. The fires of 1998 were caused by an extreme drought in late spring of that year. In addition to our humidity, we have many natural fire breaks such as rivers and canals in addition to frequent control burns, especially down south in the glades.

Those muck fires were caused by lightning strikes. People seem to forget swamps burn. The gas and peat rich dirt which is one step away from coal, definitely burn. Most of the fires were underground though.

[coconutmama]

Like my hubby said. The Villages did a great job laying out the community. We have numerous retention ponds that they pump from in the event of fire

This time of year is a dangerous time for fires, here as well as anywhere in Florida. Dry air, windy, low water in retention ponds, plenty of oak & palm trees to burn, plenty of brush too. Lots of homes with natural gas plus multiple vehicles in our garages. Tinder plenty.

It is nice to think we live in a bubble, but please have a plan for any disaster

[kkingston57]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

In late 90's Florida had terrible fires mostly from Orlando north. they were mostly in the rural areas and did not have same high winds and terrain was flat. They did not spread into the suburban areas of Florida

[Dusty_Star]

There were wildfires in Ocala National Forest last year. Whoops, two weeks ago it would have been last year. Okay, 2023 fires in the forest, not all that far away from us. I believe lightning touched them off.

Thousands of acres burning in Ocala National Forest wildfire (https://www.wcjb.com/2023/05/19/thousands-acres-burning-ocala-national-forest-wildfire/)

[DAVES]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

Why does it remind me of my wife? Need something to worry about?

[tophcfa]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

Destructive fires are unlikely, but Florida and California share the unfortunate circumstance of being the hardest and most expensive states to get homeowners insurance.

[Pairadocs]

With hurricanes monitoring drought, and living on a peninsula, is it possible???

Highly unlikely, though anything is possible. Most important, Florida forest management practices are as different from those of California as they can be.

[Battlebasset]

The insurance companies know what the near future holds for hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes. It is affecting all states, not just Florida and California. We Americans seem to be trying to deny reality and therefore postpone solutions.

Other than making sure you are prepared for the inevitable fire/weather event with strong building codes, mitigation and engineering/infrastructure solutions, what other solutions are there?

[CODYCAT]

We also have very smart people running the state. We don’t have the issues some states have.

[Bill14564]

We also have very smart people running the state. We don’t have the issues some states have.

The fires had little to do with the people running the state; the fires were largely due to the hilly terrain, winds, and dry conditions combined with heavily-loaded power lines. Florida doesn't have the same geography or climate conditions.

[ElDiabloJoe]

We also have very smart people running the state. We don’t have the issues some states have.

Oh yes. Please do tell me how they handled the roofing/insurance scam and how they are protecting homeowners from massive jumps in rates?

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

In the Boston globe today ,Massachusetts now has the 5th highest non renewable insurance in the country . It’s not because of hurricanes or fires but because of coastal sea rises , the insurance companies aren’t stupid they see the future and it looks bleak to them , you can call it anything you like but the facts are the facts

[Pairadocs]

all the controlled burns along sides of highways & public areas are proof that dead materials are being burned & disposed of properly. it's a comforting sight,...and smell :icon_wink:

Yes, a common, and welcome, sight and smell in Florida ! The smoke from the controlled burns in the Ocala N. forest near the villages sometimes drifts this direction. We don't complain because we understand the reason. Have even observed (while driving to the East coast) controlled burns ON glads. Availability of water in Fl appears to be a completely different situation than Calif., plus the hills there surely play a part. Just totally different landscape an circumstances.