TAMPA, Fla. — Firefighters are working to put out a brushfire located on vacant property Monday morning on South West Shore Boulevard.
This stretch of South Tampa roadway was closed between Wallcraft and Chapin avenues because of the fire hose on the ground, according to Tampa Fire Rescue. However, the entire roadway reopened at around 12:20 p.m.
It's believed the fire started near the roadway in a wooded area, though it's not yet known what sparked it. The fire is not endangering any buildings, fire rescue says.
Much of the Florida peninsula, including the Tampa Bay area, remains under a severe drought because of dry conditions and the lack of any significant rainfall. State officials last week warned people should limit or cease any outdoor burning in an effort to reduce the threat of wildfires.
“It’s been a busy wildfire year so far from Jan. 1 to April 2,” Rick Dolan, the director of the Florida Forest Service, said during an earlier news conference. “We’ve had 1,098 fires for 35,424 acres. These total include state, private, and federal lands.”