Pasco Fire Rescue Battles Multiple Fires Through Night

TRINITY, FL -- A late-night mulch that sent smoke across Trinity and closed State Road 54 is now under control after Pasco County Fire Rescue worked through the night. But now the exhausted firefighters are fighting brush fires in the Moon Lake Road area that were reported at 4 a.m. and have come too close to homes for comfort.

At this point, evacuation have not been ordered for that fire.

Fire Rescue was called around 10 p.m. Thursday, April 3, to Paw Materials in the 14200 block of State Road 54 in Trinity with a large pile of mulch, approximately 300 feet in diameter and 30 feet high, caught fire.

Command was established on the scene and additional resources were called due to the size of the fire and the lack of hydrants in the area. Firefighters quickly set up a water shuttle operation and laid approximately 3,000 feet of supply hose. Two ladder trucks were set up and two track hoes were used to bring the fire under control.

In all 15 fire rescue units responded to the scene and it took three hours to bring the fire under control. There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Just as firefighters were breathing a sigh of relief, fire rescue was called out again in the early morning hours to batttle two brush fires in the Moon Lake area near State Road 52 that prompted a short-lived voluntary evacuation order for residents in the area.

Fire rescue says about 5 acres has been impacted but one fire is now about 20 percent under control and the over is 55 percent contained with help from the Florida Forest Service.

Image via Pasco Fire Rescue