Hobe Sound - Wednesday April 3, 2024: A controlled burn being conducted by the Florida Forest Service on 75-acres of land just outside Hobe Sound got out-of-hand late Monday afternoon. The flames jumped a canal in the area of Bridge Road and U.S. Route #1, close to Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Just before 5 p.m., as the flames began to spread in the 5400 block of Southeast 138th Street, the Forest Service contacted Martin County Fire Rescue to help contain the blaze. Multiple Fire Rescue units were rushed to the scene. Those units included two brush trucks, a fire engine, a rescue unit and two tenders that each contained 2,000 gallons of water.
The Martin County Sheriff’s (MCSO) Aviation Unit also responded. They deployed their Airbus, equipped with a Bambi bucket which dumped hundreds of gallons of water on the flames.
Martin County firefighters spent roughly 4 hours working alongside forestry crews to bring the fire under control. No one was injured and no homes or other structures were damaged.