Wildfire — Inland Collier County, Florida

2017-04-20 to 2017-04-25 · Inland Collier County, Florida

Event narrative

The 30th Avenue wildfire was first reported during the afternoon hours on April 20 in the Golden Gate Estates area of eastern Naples in Collier County. This fire, in combination with the nearby Frangipani Fire reported later that afternoon, necessitated the evacuation of a large area of the the Golden Gate area of Naples, as well as numerous road, school, and business closures. The unofficial cause of the fire was a lawn mower that hit a rock that sparked and ignited the very dry vegetation.

Nine homes were destroyed in the fire, most located in the areas of Inez and Smith Roads, and Guevara Avenue. An additional abandoned home on the west side of 32nd Avenue SE, off of Everglades Boulevard was also destroyed. American Farms located off Brantley Boulevard and Inez Road sustained an estimated $1.1 million in damage. Total damage estimates were provided by the Florida Forest Service.

One man was injured while trying to protect his property. He was taken to the hospital with second-degree burns over 18 percent of his body.

Over an inch of rain fell on the fire on April 22 and 23, which helped increase the containment on the fire. The evacuation orders were lifted during the afternoon hours of April 23 as containment increased for the fire.

Wider weather episode

Drought conditions continued across South Florida into mid April, allowing for the rapid spread of two wildfires, the 30th Avenue Fire, and Frangipani Fire, that started in the Golden Gate Estates area of eastern Naples. Given the proximity of the fires two each other, a large mandatory evacuation area was ordered for the region, from the south side of Golden Gate Boulevard south to I-75, and from Collier Boulevard east to Wilson Boulevard. Additional voluntary evacuations were ordered for homes south of Golden Gate Parkway from Tropicana Boulevard east to Collier Boulevard in Golden Gate City, affecting over 7000 residents. The wildfires resulted in the closures of numerous roads in the area, as well as schools, business, and parks. The Frangipani Fire was contained within 24 hours, however the 30th Avenue Fire was not able to reach containment until 25 April.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 692702. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.