Final report: State contractor responsible for wildfire that torched Eastpoint homes

Jeffrey Schweers | Tallahassee Democrat

Show Caption Hide Caption Eastpoint fire drone footage, aerial photos display degree of devastation Eastpoint fire drone footage, aerial photos display degree of devastation

The Lime Rock wildfire that destroyed over three dozen homes in Eastpoint June 24 was caused by a prescribed burn in a state wildlife management area that the state contractor hired to do the job left smoldering for days.

The final investigative report released by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services this week after a public request made by the Tallahassee Democrat concludes that Wildlands Service Inc. was responsible for the destructive blaze.

It also confirms that high winds from a thunderstorm caused the fire to spread from a 6-7 acre contained area to consume more than 800 acres of brush and forestland.

“Based on the observations made by investigators, statements from witnesses, and weather documented on the day of the fire it appears the prescribed fire reignited from smolders within the prescribed burn area due to high winds,” the report by investigator John A. Newell of the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement said.

“Then embers or direct flame contact from this reignition ignited the unburned area left inside the boundary of the prescribed burn,” Newell added. “The fire helped by high winds jumped the fire line from the prescribed burn.”

About 125 residents lost their homes and have either moved away from the area or received temporary mobile homes. Several residents have already filed lawsuits against the company.

Cecil Davis, attorney for Wildlands Service, said it was his law firm's policy to not comment on pending lawsuits. He said the firm was filing its initial responses to the five lawsuits this afternoon. He also declined to comment about the investigative report.

Winds like a freight train

Florida Forest Service Rangers Richard Smith and Jonathan McAnally were the first firefighters on the scene around 5:07 p.m. that Sunday. When they got to the fire line for the prescribed burn, Smith noticed fire on the west side within the old prescribed burn area.

They had the fire about 60 percent contained at 6-7 acres when Department of Forestry Supervisor John Taranto advised them of an approaching thunderstorm with high winds. Smith said the winds were gusting up to 40 mph.

The storm forced the fire to shift to the south and travel up Wilderness and Ridge roads. Taranto called for more units around 6:22 p.m. and called the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to help with evacuating the 120 or so residents in the neighborhood.

Nicholas Hudgins, who lived at 585 Ridge Road, told investigators he evacuated around 6:20 pm. The fire was burning in his treetops 40 feet high. The winds reminded him of a hurricane and sounded like a freight train.

'I had no way out of there': Eastpoint wildfire evacuee describes escape from 'hell'

Shirley Freeman said she fled from her house at 757 Ridge Road with the fire burning on either side of her.

Jeff Adam Savage of 681 Ridge Road said the fire deposited soot and burnt debris in his yard and he smelled smoke for days.

Investigators noticed lots of smoldering spots and unburned vegetation within the prescribed burn area. The contractor had signed off that all the vegetation was burned off.

Analysis:

The drought before the inferno

Smith said the area in the prescribed burn was usually underwater, but the area had experienced serious drought conditions for months and was drier than normal. Investigators observed a clear “U” burn pattern pointing back to the location within the prescribed burn area as the starting point of the destructive wildfire.

“A search of the general origin area revealed no evidence of lightning strikes,” the report said, and investigators later confirmed with other sources. “There were no signs of drip torch burns or other attempts to burn the large area of unburned vegetation left within the prescribed burn behind.”

Wildlands Service was contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to burn a 480-acre area within the Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area to clear it of hazardous underbrush that can become fuel in a fire.

The burn was ignited June 18 and extinguished six hours later. The next day, the burn boss said the burn went well and submitted an invoice for $26,400 to the FWC.

FWC Biologist Matthew Hortman told investigators on June 26 that he had to call Wildlands back several times “to deal with the smoldering vegetation, and they responded each time to mop up the reported area.”

On July 5, Newell and Lt. Charles Padgett interviewed the burn manager, Doug Scott, and WIldlands’ owner, John Douglass Williams accompanied by their attorney. Scott confirmed that he saw smolders within the prescribed burn at the end of the burn, but said it was “normal to have smoldering for days after a burn.”

He also said sometimes everything just won’t burn.

Investigator Daniel Shaw reviewed the invoice from Wildlands and noticed that on page 7 of the document, titled “Burn Boss Evaluation/Summary,” the burn boss was specifically asked if any unburned or unburnable portions remained. Scott answered in the negative on June 19, the day after the prescribed burn. Shaw and Padgett estimated there were about 3,000 square feet of unburned vegetation in the prescribed burn area.

The State Fire Marshal provided a spreadsheet that showed 25 primary homes destroyed and seven partially, and two secondary homes destroyed and one partially. Also destroyed or partially destroyed were 62 outbuildings, 60 vehicles, 58 vessels, 26 utility trailers, 17 campers, one RV, six lawnmowers, two go-karts, one generator, and five ATVs.

The State Fire Marshal estimated the damage at $1.314 million. The CFO, which oversees the fire marshal, is still investigating and should have a final report within the next few weeks, an agency spokesperson said.

Contact Jeffrey Schweers at jschweers@tallahassee.com.