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Crews still fighting Hernando County brush fire
A massive brush fire in Hernando County is still burning on Monday morning. Parts of the Tampa Bay Area are still under a burn ban. FOX 13's Kellie Cowan reports.
HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. - A brush fire that broke out in Hernando County on Sunday night was 90 percent contained by late Monday morning.
What we know:
The fire burned about 120 acres.
Firefighters said it did not spread to any structures and there have been no injuries reported.
Crews from the Florida Forest Service – Withlacoochee Forestry Center were conducting mop-up operations on Monday and are expected to stay at the scene throughout the day.
Why you should care:
Officials said residents may see smoke and smoldering as hot spots are put out.
PREVIOUS: Evacuation order lifted in Hernando County area following brush fire: HCFR
The backstory:
The massive, fast-moving fire forced a mandatory evacuation for homes and businesses near Hernando Beach on Sunday, but that evacuation order was lifted overnight.
By Monday morning, crews were still seeing smoke along the main roadway, but the scene appeared far less threatening than Sunday night, when firefighters shut down the road and evacuated nearby businesses.
Hernando County Fire Chief Paul Hasenmeier said multiple businesses were at risk as embers spread across the area.
"Embers and fire were jumping around over from the preserve. We had numerous spot fires," explained Hasenmeier. "There were definitely a lot of businesses threatened."
Officials credit a strong response from Hernando County, Florida Forest Service, and Pasco County fire crews for preventing major losses. No homes were threatened, but several commercial buildings were in danger during the height of the fire.
What we don't know:
It is unclear what caused the fire to start.
Dig deeper:
It's been a long fire season in Florida. A prolonged drought has turned forests, fields and yards into kindling and small fires are quickly becoming out of hand. That led to a number of citations for people who violate local burn restrictions.
Pasco County firefighters responded to a separate brush fire Sunday on Tyndall Road in San Antonio. Crews say the 10-acre fire appears to have started after an illegal burn got out of control.
Officials say the fire destroyed several campers and mobile homes and damaged the main home on the property. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.
Authorities issued a citation to the person responsible for starting the illegal burn.
Burn bans across the Bay Area
Fire officials say increased humidity and reduced wind speeds should help mitigate wildfire risk, but an ongoing drought has left many parts of Florida susceptible to quickly spreading fires.
Many Bay Area counties currently have burn bans in place. Officials urge residents to check with their local fire department or county government before burning yard debris.
What they're saying:
In a press release, Hernando County Fire Rescue wrote, "A huge thank-you goes out to Hernando County Fire Rescue, Pasco County Fire Rescue, and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Hernando County Sheriff's Office for their rapid response and for protecting numerous structures during this incident."
The Source: Information for this story was collected from Hernando County Fire Rescue and previous FOX 13 reporting.