PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Only on Action News Jax got a bird’s-eye view on Wednesday of the efforts to combat the Railroad Fire in Clay and Putnam Counties.
Our crews hopped on board a Florida State Guard Black Hawk Helicopter with Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and Florida Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie as they surveyed the progress.
“I’ve always been a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy. You gotta get out there. You gotta see it for yourself,” said Collins.
After a quick safety briefing, we were off and headed towards the smoke plumes to the North.
From the skies, we were able to get a top-down view of aerial firefighting efforts and a clear perspective of where the fire had burned, and where it was still burning.
We observed red lines in the landscape left behind from fire retardant drops, which carved clear lines in the tress to stop the fire dead in its tracks.
In some cases, those lines could be seen just before flames would have reached homes.
“You see the retardants holding back, and it really saved the subdivision. Incredible planning. They understood, again, the task at hand,” said Collins.
We also circled around the Mondex Fire, which was burning South of Palatka.
There, we saw National Guard helicopters dumping water on the flames.
Back safely on the ground, Director Guthrie told us the Railroad Fire looked significantly better than the last observation flight he had taken just two days prior.
“Just stopped it dead in its tracks. You saw retardant line after retardant line that actually saved homes,” said Guthrie. ”So, again, Commissioner Simpson said it yesterday, Florida Forrest Service, US Forrest Service, they’re the best at what they do in the business, and we’re very, very lucky to have those guys.”
As of noon Wednesday, the Railroad Fire was at 55 percent containment.
Local officials said they anticipate crews will be actively fighting and monitoring the blaze for several weeks to come.
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