Firefighters Battle Equipment Fire, Small Wildfire In Molino Swamp

October 19, 2021

The Florida Forest Service was working to extinguish a small wildfire in a Molino swamp late Tuesday morning.

Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched about 8:30 a.m. to a logging equipment fire in the area of Crabtree Church Road and South Highway 99.

The equipment was located well off the road in a swamp, and the fire spread into the surrounding area. The Florida Forest Service responded with one tractor in order to contain the small wildfire, which was estimated at about one-quarter of an acre. A second tractor was on standby just in case the first tractor became stuck in the swamp.

‘It was in a very, very wet swamp, and it was hard to make any progress,” Florida Forest Service spokesman Joe Zwierzchowski said.

He said a Forest Service helicopter “happened to be in the area on training exercises”. The helicopter, equipped with a water bucket, began dumping water on the equipment shortly after 11 a.m.

Residents in the area told NorthEscambia.com the helicopter was seen taking water from a pond off Gibson Road.

There were no structures near the fire and no injuries reported.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News