Fire Update: Lull Persists as
Fires Recede and Rain Approaches

Flagler County and Division of Forestry officials had little but good news to report this morning as a lull in wildfire activity stretching back to last Saturday continues, and several days’ worth of greater rain chances begin later this afternoon.

The Espanola fire, the county’s largest, is up to 5,136 acres, a slight increase in the last 24 hours, but no firelines have been breached. “Lines are holding, crews are out there spraying lots of water, so we’re progressing,” the Division of Forestry’s Todd Schroeder said this morning.

Active fires in the county are down to eight, from a high of 22 early last week. The next four to five days’ forecast shows chances of rain of better than 50 percent.

Here’s the audio for this morning’s news briefing at the county’s Emergency Operations Center. The briefing is led by Schroeder, who introduces County Fire Chief Don Petito and Emergency Operations Technician Bob Pickering, with the weekend’s weather patterns.