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Squirrel's Death Sparks Evacuation In Weeki Wachee
Hernando Today photo by BOB EAST III
Spring Hill firefighters douse a hot spot at a brush fire between Mertal and Pistachio Streets in Weeki Wachee Wednesday.
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Published: May 15, 2008
WEEKI WACHEE - A squirrel's dramatic death sparked a 2- to 3-acre brush that forced nearby residents out of their homes.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a loud bang interrupted the quiet on Pistachio and Mertal streets, off Cortez Boulevard west of Weeki Wachee Springs.
Curry Davis stepped outside his Mertal Street home to investigate and saw wisps of smoke creeping out from the thick underbrush across the street.
Within minutes, he said, the crackle and roar of a growing fire could be heard spreading through the short trees and heavy shrubs that separate the two streets.
"Those pines go like powder," he said.
Eventually, a collective force of firefighters from the county, Spring Hill and the Division of Forestry began their attack on the flames climbing upward of 20 feet. Authorities asked 18 residents from Pistachio and Mertal to clear out for safety.
Employees of Alma's Restaurant on Cortez Boulevard began hosing down the roof and walls of the business as a stiff wind fueled the inferno.
"I was scared," said Jeanne Haynes. The flames "were very loud."
Her co-worker, Laurine Smart, added: "You could hear the wind moving the flames."
Fire officials, who spent about two hours from start to finish at the scene, said it was likely a squirrel zapped by a transformer started the blaze.
Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.
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