State: Controlled burn sparked Eastpoint fire that destroyed 36 homes

June 27, 2018

EASTPOINT, Fla. (WCTV) -- Glenn Woodall lost it all.

"I had a big shed behind my house, tools and everything. It all got burned up," he said. "I lost everything; the stove, refrigerator, the whole nine yards. Washing machine, all of that. They need to do something."

"They," referring to the State of Florida.

Woodall says he had a feeling it was the controlled burn that caused the fire that wiped out his home on Wilderness Road.

"They need to straighten some of these people out around here and help them out instead of dodging," he said. "Quit playing this dodge ball stuff and do something."

One resident we spoke with said the fire skipped his home, but destroyed all of his neighbor's.

"I don't know the word for it, but it really hits me," the resident said. "I want to know who's responsible for trying to kill us all, basically. Everybody on this road and Ridge Road could've died, just like that."

The resident says he'd noticed the controlled burn wasn't fully controlled.

"They should be held accountable," he continued. "There should've been somebody out there watching the fire. Even though it was smoldering, there should've been somebody out there watching that fire at all times."

Pennie Bryant is also upset.

"We're very hurt," she said. Her house is damaged, as is her boat, truck and shed.

"My husband lost all his tools. We hear they don't replace the sheds and stuff like that. That ain't right," she said. "They should have to replace everything."

June 27, 2018

EASTPOINT, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's agriculture commissioner says a controlled burn by state contractors sparked a wildfire that destroyed 36 homes and burned more than 800 acres and officials have suspended the practice statewide.

Adam Putnam made the announcement Wednesday morning after an investigation by the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement.

The fire broke out late Sunday in the coastal community of Eastpoint near the historic town of Apalachicola in Florida's Panhandle.

Putnam says his "heart goes out to those affected by this devastating wildfire."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement that a private company was contracted to burn 480 acres on June 18. The agency said 580 acres of private land separated the controlled burn from the Eastpoint neighborhood.

Controlled burns are used as a forest management tool.

The Florida Department of Agriculture tell us that the controlled burn was conducted by Wildland Fire Services, Inc. on behalf of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

We have reached out to Wildland Fire Services for comment and are still awaiting word back.

June 26, 2018

EASTPOINT, Fla. (WCTV) -- Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said Tuesday that officials are still working to pinpoint the cause of a fire in Eastpoint that destroyed 36 homes.

Putnam told the media during a news conference in Eastpoint, "Colonel Wiggins with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement is leading our investigation into the cause, of course, of the fire. We are running down every possible potential cause from lightning, to any number of other reasons, from human-induced error to prescribed burn, or anything else."

Watch more from today's news conference below:

June 25, 2018

EASTPOINT, Fla. (WCTV) -- Crews in Franklin County are working to contain a fire that has already destroyed 36 homes.

According to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, the fire started Sunday afternoon in Eastpoint near Buck Street and Ridge Road.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam says the fire has burned 950 acres. As of 9:30 p.m. Monday, officials say the blaze is 95 percent contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Approximately 36 structures have been destroyed by the fire, and local residents had to wait for hours before being allowed back into their neighborhoods to survey the damage. Crews said that they needed to secure all power lines before they could allow homeowners into the area.

Mandatory evacuations were issued Sunday for portions of Ridge Road, Bear Creek, Wilderness Road, CC Land, Twin Lakes, North Bay Shore and Highway 65.

Holiness Pentecostal Church in Eastpoint, Eastpoint Church of God, Red Pirate and Eastpoint Firehouse have been set up as evacuation shelters.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office has created a

to help those affected by the fire. As of 6 p.m. Monday, the fund had already raised more than $19,000. Authorities say their goal is to raise at least $150,000.

Several local organizations are collecting donations. They are asking for non-perishable food items, diapers, formula, bottled water, clothes, blankets and towels.