The Florida Forest Service is working to extinguish a brush fire that has spread to almost 500 acres in the River Ranch area of Polk County.
The brush fire is located off State Road 60, just east of Frostproof. Evacuations are underway for some homes and buildings in the Canopy Oaks portion of River Ranch.
At this time, 10 tractors are rolling through some fire breaks to stop flames from spreading as 50% of the fire has been contained, Florida Forest Service says. However, wind and the dry brush conditions are making it more difficult to contain.
No one is reported to be hurt, but multiple outbuildings have been lost. Investigators are still working to learn how the fire started.
Drought conditions started to develop in west Central Florida in February but have continued to worsen through March. The latest drought monitor came in last week, and it showed the entire Tampa Bay area under a moderate drought. The worse conditions are across Southwest Florida where a severe drought has continued to expand.
The concern is that with dry weather continuing this drought will only expand and strengthen. That could cause issues across the state including higher wildfire risks.