36 homes lost to Fla. ‘controlled burn’
State waited until Wed. to admit culpability in Sunday fast-moving fire
EASTPOINT, Fla. — John Matthew Polous watched a “controlled-burn” fire for three days as it consumed foliage outside his tiny community on the Florida Panhandle. And then he watched as it quickly raged out of control. What he doesn’t understand is why it took government officials until Wednesday to acknowledge that they are the ones responsible for the blaze that destroyed 36 homes, including his.
Polous, a shrimper and oysterman, lost 14 boats, his home and pickup trucks in the quickmoving conflagration Sunday that left behind a trail of ash and ruins in Eastpoint, just across the river from the historic town of Apalachicola.
“They finally admitted to what done it, now let’s see what they are going to do,” Polous, 51, said while walking through the burned remains of his home. “Why was they even burning this time of year back here? That don’t make sense, but they was and there’s nothing nobody can do about it.”
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced Wednesday that the fire was caused by a Tallahassee company hired by the state’s wildlife commission to do controlled burns on state lands. Putnam said an investigation by his office eliminated other possible causes, including lightning, arson or an accident.
The fire burned more than 800 acres and officials said they were suspending the practice of controlled burns statewide while they investigate. Controlled burns are used as a tool to manage forests. They involve burning away underbrush to lessen the danger of future wildfires.
Polous said his house was the first to burn, and the fire came up quickly — he didn’t even have time to get his wallet, which was lost in the fire.
“All I could hear was nothing but like a freight train, because it was blowing and it was burning. … I walked out in the backyard and saw it coming, and that was it. Within a matter of minutes, it was gone, everything I own,” he said. “Hopefully something will happen and we can get paid for it. And I hope everybody that lost a house out here gets paid.”