St. Lucie County - Wednesday August 31, 2022: The Florida Forest Service advises residents to take precautions as the Glades Mulch Fire continues to produce large amounts of smoke nearly a week after the flames were put out, and the Florida Forest Service expects the smoke to continue to rise from for the cinders for the next several weeks.
Several fire districts joined the St. Lucie County Fire District and the Florida Forestry Service at Rangeline and Glades Cutoff to battle this fire last week. It sent plumes of thick smoke up across the county that could be seen for miles. It was brought under control on Thursday August 25th and fire officials have been monitoring it since then.
The Forest Service Tuesday issued a notice advising residents to follow these safety recommendations in order to avoid the effects of the smoke:
• Stay inside with the doors and windows closed as much as possible.
• Run your air conditioner with the fresh-air intake closed (“recirculate mode”) to keep smoke from getting indoors.
• Set up a portable air cleaner/air purifier within your home to help eliminate smoke.
• When driving, keep your windows closed and run the air conditioner in recirculate mode.
• If driving through smoke becomes unavoidable, reduce your speed and switch on your low-beam headlights.
• Avoid strenuous activities such as mowing the lawn or going for a run until the air quality gets better.
• Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution, such as burning candles, using gas stoves and vacuuming.
The fire remains contained, and crews will continue to monitor the fire throughout the upcoming weeks.
Florida Fire Service
The Florida Forest Service is a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres.