Firefighters Battle McDavid Wildfire; Forest Service Discourages Outdoor Burning

October 20, 2024

The Florida Forest Service (FFS) and Escambia County Fire Rescue battled an equipment blaze and resulting wildfire near McDavid Saturday afternoon.

The fire was in a wooded area about 4 p.m. near Cotton Creek off the 1500 block of North Pine Barren Road, about a mile south of Highway 164.

A Forest Service helicopter that just happened to be flying across the area spotting the fire, which involved equipment known as a feller buncher along with about three acres, Florida Forest Service Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Joe Zwierzchowski of the Blackwater Forestry Center told NorthEscambia.com. He said the helicopter made 32 water drops on the fire. Each drop was about 300 gallons, or 9,600 gallons total taken from a pond in the area.

The McDavid and Walnut Hill Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, along with a tractor and crews from the Forest Service responded to the fire from the ground. The wildfire was reported contained by about 5:30 p.m., and the equipment fire was extinguished a short time later.

A feller buncher is a harvester used in the logging industry to cut and bunch trees. The machine cuts down trees, holds them and places them on the ground.

While the cause of the fire was not immediately known, Zwierzchowski was quick to urge area residents to refrain from any outdoor burning.

“As dry as it is, we need significant rainfall before any burns outside,” he said. “A quick shower or two won’t be enough. We need a good steady rain first.”

There is no chance of rain in the local forest over the next week.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News