ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A troublesome smoky wild grass fire was expected to continue burning in marshy lands west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and Indrio Road, but a nest with bald eagles in the burned area is safe, a state official said.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office closed off Indrio Road from U.S. 1 to Taylor Dairy at about 2 p.m. Monday, to safeguard firefighters, but opened it during the evening.
Since Sunday afternoon, the fire, off the 200 block of Del Mundo Street on the west side of U.S. 1, has burned 300 acres in a largely inaccessible marsh, said Florida Division of Forestry spokeswoman Melissa Yunas. A cause has not been determined.
About 75 acres were left to burn towards the end of the day and firefighters were remaining on the scene Monday night.
The fire was 95 percent contained and firefighters decided to let it burn itself out.
“Due to wind shifts and wet marsh, it is difficult to get the fire contained,” Yunas said. She said a marsh is difficult to access.
The fast-moving fire has been wind-driven and there’s potential for it to burn up to 400 acres, she said. Forecasters at the National Weather Service were expecting a windy day Tuesday, with an east-southeast wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Until neighboring residents called Sunday night, firefighters didn’t know there is an active eagle’s nest in a tall dead pine tree in the midst of the burning area.
“We had a lot of 911 calls,” she said.
About 9:30 p.m. Sunday, firefighters safeguarded the tree and nest — with two adults and one fledging eagle in it — by doing a preventive burn. The grasses around the tree were purposely set afire so the wildfire couldn’t get to it, Yunas said.
Also firefighters put in fire lanes to protect several homes in the distance.
No homes were threatened at the end of the day Monday and smoke wasn’t affecting operations at the St. Lucie County International Airport.
The fire has been burning the tops of marsh grasses up to 5 feet tall.
On Sunday, the fire was about 50 acres in size and began about 3 p.m.
A juvenile eagle sits on a dead pine next to its nest Monday afternoon along U.S. 1 in northern St. Lucie County. The nest is active with two adults regularly seen there as well as the juvenile. A brush fire on Sunday threatened the tree and nest, although firefighters made a fire break around the area so the nest would stay intact.
