VOLUSIA COUNTYSITUATION REPORT # 51(status changes made since last report shown in bold black type)
EVENT: WILDFIRES 1998
DATE / TIME: July 4, 1998 @ 0900 hrs
EOC ACTIVATION LEVEL: 4
LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION: ORIGINALLY ISSUED JUNE 22, 1998 AT 1 P.M. RETROACTIVE TO JUNE 20, 1998
DATE OF EXPIRATION: Extended an additional seven days. Revised date of expiration is now July 11, 1998.
CONTACT NUMBERS FOR COUNTY EOC AND PIO: (904) 254-1500
COUNTY ESF-5 FAX: (904) 258-4096
SUMMARY OF FIRE ACTIVITY
LOCATION(S) OF FIRES TO DATE: FIRES LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. DUE TO NUMBER OF FIRES AND FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE, THIS REPORT FOCUSES UPON NEW FIRE EVENTS ONLY AND WILL REFER TO THEM IN GENERAL TERMS OF LOCATION.
The major areas of utmost concern at this time are as follows:
Flagler County Fires. Firefighters in Volusia County are undertaking strategic actions in the event that a wind shift occurs and brings the Flagler fires back across the Volusia County line. Flagler County EOC has requested mutual aid assistance in fighting these fires. Continued monitoring for additional impact for Volusia County resources, fire fighters and/or shelters.
Other major fires that are cause for concern:
- Maytown/I-95 - under control. Crews are working.
- Boy Scout Camp/Lake Ashby - Crews are working this area. This fire has burned approximately 7,000 acres. This fire has advanced to the South. These crews are still working in this area.
- Hunter Ridge - Crews are still working and monitoring.
- Ranchette Road - Hot spots are still evident. Crews are present and working.
- Mary Farms fire - This is a flare up of previous fire activity in the area . This fire has consumed approximately, 3500 acres and has advanced Southeast. However the fire has been contained.
Other fires are under surveillance and are continuing to be assessed for further action:
- County line/Stacy Grove Road. Presently contained. Two crews are present.
- Indian Lake Road area fire(s). Are presently contained.
- Lake Woodruff area fire. Begun by lightning 30 Jun 98. Pose no threat to structures. Crews are present.
- Plantation Pines/Rodeo Road fire. Substantial fire breaks are in place around residential subdivisions. Any threatened houses are being protected by crews present.
- Shunz Road fire. Poses no threat to structures. Crews are present.
ACREAGE OF FIRES CURRENTLY ACTIVE: ESTIMATED TOTAL ACREAGE, APPROXIMATELY: 121,000 acres
SUPPRESSION EFFORTS UNDERWAY: The policy is to protect life first. Protection of structures will be prioritized based on field conditions. A unified command consisting of Volusia County and municipalities has been coordinated with Division of Forestry. It has been determined that some fires may be suspicious in nature. Air reconnaissance flights are being flown by the U.S. Forest Service out of New Smyrna Beach and DeLand airports. Firefighters plan a controlled burn around the Indian Lake Road area fire(s). Several controlled burn operations were conducted.
MUTUAL AID:
State Fire Marshal’s Office: 8 people on duty.
- National Guard: 130 individuals from the First of the 265th ADA Battalion have arrived for firefighting duty and have been reassigned to other counties. An additional 50 personnel from the Orlando unit will be arriving 4 July 1998. A large tent is available just west of I-95 on State Road 40 to provide rest and food for guardsmen, firefighters and any other support personnel. 56 individuals and heavy equipment from the 3rd of the 116th FA Battalion (Arcadia, FL.) Will arrive in Volusia County at 1400 hrs. This is to include 10 HummVs, 4 Deuce’s (2 ½ ton trucks), 2 (5- ton trucks), 4 Hemmits (heavy duty utility truck).
- Federal Incident Command (Blue Team): 38 person overhead team arrived on Saturday (6/27). They brought 5 "hot shot" teams which consist of 20 personnel per team, and included a Type I helicopter equipped with a 2000 gal water tank, 2 Type II helicopters and 1 tactical aircraft for aerial spotting. The U.S. Forest Service/DOF have sent 268 firefighters. They have provided 16 tractor plow units and 30 engines.
- Public Information Office: PIO’s from across the state are sending individuals to provide assistance. The latest news and information on fires and evacuations in Volusia County is currently available on Volusia County’s World Wide Web page at http://www.volusia.org .
- Salvation Army: Responsible for all field food as of Monday, 6/29/98. A warehouse for storage & distribution has been established at the Daytona Mall (Nova Road).
- US Marine Corps: 33 personnel from Camp Lejuene replaced a bridge on Rima Ridge Road. The intent of the bridge was to facilitate heavy equipment traffic between US 92 and State Road 40 in the event I-95 and other north-south arteries are congested with traffic. Temporary bridge was installed on July 2, 1998; however, the bridge had to be removed due to impending fires.
OTHER:
CEOC currently has personnel from State Division of Emergency Management; State Division of Forestry; National Guard; Florida Dept. Of Law Enforcement; Florida Highway Patrol; and Florida Department of Transportation.
Representatives from SBA and FEMA are in the County today to conduct damage assessment.
INJURIES / CASUALTIES
INJURIES (MINOR) TO DATE: 9 (firefighters) + 1 fire contractor (no injuries reported at 0900, 7/4 briefing)
FATALITIES TO DATE: 0
MISSING PERSONS TO DATE: 0
STATUS OF MISSING PERSONS: N/A
PROPERTY / INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTED
HOMES THREATENED: ±29,000 homes threatened in various areas around Volusia County including 20,000 homes in the Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach area. Until reports start coming from the field, exact damages will remain unknown.
HOMES DESTROYED/DAMAGED: 2 homes destroyed and 10 mobile homes damaged in Ormond Beach.
BUSINESSES THREATENED: 5
BUSINESSES DAMAGED/DESTROYED: 4 businesses in the Ormond Beach area were destroyed.
OTHER STRUCTURES THREATENED: Unknown
OTHER STRUCTURES DAMAGED: Unknown
OTHER STRUCTURES DESTROYED: 15 (miscellaneous hunting camp structures)
VEHICLES DAMAGED: 3 (two automobiles and a boat)
VEHICLES DESTROYED: Unknown
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTED:
Communications: Fire breaks have been installed around a Bellsouth telecommunications tower in the Ormond Beach area. Overall, telephone communications on the east side of the county are very congested--WHEN DIALING PLEASE WAIT A FEW SECONDS FOR A CONNECTION. Additional telephone lines at the CEOC are now installed, however, phone traffic remains very heavy. Radio communications continues to be very heavy, as well.
Power: A regional FPL switching dispatch facility is in harms way. In addition an FPL substation which serves as a primary facility for Daytona Beach is of concern. FPL has reported that power has been restored to most customers in the north Volusia area. FPL reports approximately 25 customers are still without power in the following areas: Rodeo Road/SR 40 and the John Street area.
Water/Sewer: The plant is back on electric power.
Transportation: City of Ormond Beach Airport remains closed.
ROAD CLOSURES:
Interstate 95 from Brevard County (Beeline Expressway) to St. Augustine (I-95 Southbound from Flagler County to I-4 is OPEN TO EVACUATION TRAFFIC ONLY).
US 1, South of Kennedy Parkway
SR 40 between Tymber Creek and SR 11 (open only to local residents in voluntary evacuation areas with I.D.)
Airport Road, west of Bear Creek
EVACUATIONS / SHELTERS
AREA(S) EVACUATED: No re-entry into any mandatory areas at this time. (** Except as noted with ID and expected to leave the area after evaluation of residence/business)
Voluntary Evacuation Areas:
- Plantation Pines off S.R. 40 (West of Ormond Beach)
- Ranchette Road, South of SR 44 near New Smyrna Beach
- Cow Creek Road from SR 442 South to Volco Road (West of the City of Edgewater)
- Rodeo Road, West of Ormond Beach
- Daytona Pines, West end of Fleming Avenue (West of Ormond Beach)
- Ormond Lakes Subdivision (Ormond Beach)
- Quail Ranch Road (Lake Ashby Area)
- Hunting Camp/Rasley Road/Archie Road (Lake Ashby Area)
- Ormond Greens Subdivision
- Pine Trails
- Florida Shores Subdivision, Edgewater, South of SR 442, from Hibiscus west to City Limits
- Town and Country Trailer Park southwest corner of Bellevue and Tomoka Farms Road
- Derbyshire Road/Jimmy Ann Drive area (Daytona)
- Aberdeen Subdivision (Ormond Beach) ( ID required)
- Cone Road & Appaloosa Lane Area (west of Ormond Beach)
- Bear Creek Subdivision (Ormond Beach)
- River Bend, (South of SR 40/Booth Road)
- Coquina Point Subdivision (Ormond Beach)
- Spring Meadows Subdivision (Ormond Beach)
- The Falls Subdivision (Ormond Beach)
- Pierson - East Washington Avenue from to Pine St. to the Flagler County line
- Broadwater Subdivision
- Tymber Creek Subdivision, west of powerline
- North of Ormond BeachAirport including Pineland Trails, Hope/Timothy Streets
- West of I-95 City Limits
- Airport Road
- U.S. 1 North of Airport Road (within city limits)
- LPGA residential community (Daytona)
- Mason Avenue, north side only Bill France Boulevard to Williamson Boulevard (Dayton)
- Jimmy Ann Drive area, from Mason Ave. To LPGA Blvd. (Daytona)
- West of Derbyshire, North of LPGA (Daytona)
- Indigo Lakes Subdivision (Daytona)
- North Tomoka Farms Road off US 92 (Daytona)
Mandatory Evacuations:
Ormond Beach
- Airport Road North to Durrance Lane, excluding Bear Creek Subdivision
- Breakaway Trails Subdivision
- Hunters Ridge Subdivision
- Unincorporated Areas
- Rima Ridge, west of Ormond Beach
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS EVACUATED: Approximately 29,000
NUMBER OF EVACUEES: Unknown
SHELTERS OPEN:
- Sweetwater Elementary, Port Orange
- Spruce Creek Elementary, Port Orange
- Spruce Creek High, Port Orange
- Seabreeze High School
- Mount Bethel Baptist, Daytona Beach
- Atlantic High School, New Smyrna Beach (Special Needs)
- County Fairgrounds, DeLand (Pet Shelter)
- New Smyrna Beach Recreation Center
- DeLand YMCA
- First Baptist Church of Pierson
- Mainland High School, Daytona Beach
- Daytona International Speedway
- Babe James Youth Center (NSB)
- First United Methodist Church (Orange City)
SHELTER POPULATION: 540 in Volusia, 692 outside of Volusia as of 08:00 - July 4
SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION: 86
SHELTERS ON STANDBY
- First United Methodist Church, Ormond Beach
- First Baptist Church of Oak Hill
- Sugar Mill Elementary, Port Orange
- New Smyrna Beach High School
- City Gym (NSB)
BILLETING FOR SUPPORT CREWS:
FEDERAL BLUE TEAM
- DELAND MIDDLE SCHOOL - 104 CREW MEMBERS
- DELAND HIGH SCHOOL - 200 CREW MEMBERS
- DELTONA HIGH SCHOOL -STANDBY
- VOLUSIA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS-FEDERAL OVERHEAD SOUTHERN BLUE TEAM
MUTUAL AID
- ERAU - 78 CREW MEMBERS
- STETSON - @ CAPACITY 300+ CREW MEMBERS
MISCELLANEOUS
STATUS OF FIREWORKS BAN AND OTHER BURN CONTROLS: Volusia County passed an ordinance on Thursday, June 25, 1998, banning the sale and use of fireworks in unincorporated and incorporated areas. All vendors including those who sell fireworks in tent sales have voluntarily agreed not to sell any fireworks to individuals in Volusia County. Firework shows have been voluntarily canceled in the cities of DeLand, DeBary, Deltona, Port Orange, Edgewater, Ormond Beach. Holly Hill has issued an emergency order banning fireworks. Pierson has also passed an ordinance to ban fireworks. The Governor has issued a statewide ban on fireworks.
FINANCIAL: Daily costs are estimated at $155,000 per day excluding state-wide mutual aid and additional expenditures from municipalities. Expect operations to continue for a minimum of 2 weeks. The Federal Government has declared Volusia County a disaster area and has pledged to cover 75% of local municipal firefighting cost. All First Union Banks are taking monetary donations for the Volusia County Fire Relief Fund. Cash donations will be put directly into a special account specifically for firefighting efforts.
FEDERAL OVERHEAD SOUTHERN BLUE TEAM: Efforts are underway to facilitate the transition from "mutual aid" to the Federal Overhead Team. Resources (food, lodging, etc.) are being secured, in cooperation with federal representatives during this period. Incident Command Post has been established at the Volusia County Fairgrounds on SR 44, east of I-4 and the City of DeLand.
FEEDING: The Salvation Army has continuing responsibility for feeding firefighters and evacuees.
SPECIAL EVENTS: The Speedway has decided to postpone the PEPSI 400 scheduled for July 4th until October 17th. A meeting is scheduled for Monday 6 July 1998 to discuss using the speedway as an equipment/supplies/staging area for incoming federal and state resources.
WEATHER REPORT: Volusia County weather: Winds west to southwest winds of 5 to 10 mph will continue through 9 a.m this morning increasing to 10-15 by late morning Saturday - Partly cloudy and hot with areas of smoke. A chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High in the lower 90s near the coast and mid to upper 90s elsewhere. Chance of rain 30 percent.
SUPPORT: There will be a communications capability set up for the Volusia County Fairgrounds on 4 July 1998.
DONATIONS: There is not a shortage of any supplies reported at this point in time. All First Union Banks are taking monetary donations for the Volusia County Fire Relief Fund. Cash donations will be put directly into a special account specifically for firefighting efforts.
ESTIMATED LOSS: Estimated value of loss structures (residential and commercial) to date is $2 million dollars. Preliminary estimated value of timber lose is $60 - $70 million.
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