Latest news with #OperationSnowStorm
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘We are extremely dry': Fires persist amid burn ban in Polk County
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Fire crews are working across Polk County to keep small fires from becoming devastating ones amid a county-wide burn ban. 'We're a long way out from being out of the woods,' Todd Chlanda, the Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for the Florida Forest Service, said. 'We need substantial, widespread rainfall over a number of days to get out of these drought-like conditions.' On Wednesday, a grass fire spread along Saddle Creek Road while, at the same time, there was a fire along the Polk Parkway at Winter Lake Road. Both those fires were contained without impacting structures. 2 Florida hikers die after falling from cliff face in Utah Highlands County issued a smoke advisory for areas of Lake Placid and South Sebring after a brush fire on Henscratch Road. 'It doesn't take long for dry conditions, windy conditions like we're having, for a fire to become a devastating wildfire within a matter of moments,' said Chlanda. Chlanda said it's been years since conditions have been this dry in Central Florida. 'We're starting to see the grass is turning brown. The leaves are crunchy. The vegetation is starting to droop. The trees are starting to droop from lack of moisture. Those are all tell-tale signs that we are extremely dry and people need to be very cautious doing anything outside,' said Chlanda. 'Operation Snow Storm' leads to 19 arrests in Pinellas County With a burn ban in effect in Polk County, people are not allowed to burn trash or debris, ignite fireworks or use campfires or bonfires, among other prohibited activities. 'It's any outdoor activity that causes a spark: welding, grinding,' Chlanda said. 'If you're going to be doing any of those types of activities, you're definitely going to want to make sure that you have a water source handy nearby and a phone, should it get out of control, that you can call 911.' The burn ban in Polk County went into effect on April 15 and will be repealed once conditions are deemed safe. Violators can be fined up to $500 and face jail time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘I wish you well in hell': Florida nurse sentenced to life after murdering adoptive daughter, abusing 2 other kids
MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida nurse was sentenced to life in prison following her conviction in the 2018 murder of her 7-year-old adopted daughter, a report from NBC affiliate WTVJ said. Gina Emmanuel, a 56-year-old Miami-Dade registered nurse, was convicted April 15 of first-degree murder for 7-year-old Samaya, and the abuse of her two other adopted children, court records show. 2 Florida hikers die after falling from cliff face in Utah According to WTVJ, prosecutors said Emmanuel abused her children for several months, forcing them to eat human waste, burning their hands on a stove, taping them to a chair, chaining them and withholding food and water. She also reportedly locked the fridge and restricted them to specific meals. In the trial, Dr. Emma Lew, a retired medical examiner, told jurors Samaya had injuries 'from her face, down to her neck, down to her chest, abdomen, back, both arms and both legs,' the news outlet reported. Lew ruled the child's cause of death as acute and chronic physical and emotional abuse, WTVJ said. One of the survivors, Emmanuel's former adoptive daughter Ayanna Gordon, 18, spoke out in the trial, saying Emmanuel got what she deserved. 'Operation Snow Storm' leads to 19 arrests in Pinellas County 'If you can't do the time, I am letting God take this wheel,' she said. 'And with that being said, I wish you well in hell.' WTVJ reported that Emmanuel never apologized during Wednesday's sentencing, as Gordon told the outlet that the women knew exactly what she did. 'Even though she hurt me, she did teach me a lot of things. I can carry some of that in the future, but something I will not carry is if I ever have children, I won't make the same mistake she did,' Gordon told WTVJ. 'Like I said, she said she was a tough cookie. I'm tougher.' According to WTVJ, the two surviving children are doing well. Gordon will be graduating from high school and plans to go to college to major in Business. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Operation Snow Storm' leads to several arrests in Pinellas County
LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — The Pinellas County Sheriff will discuss the arrests of several individuals in a large-scale drug operation, in what they dubbed 'Operation Snow Storm.' Sheriff Bob Gualtieri will be joined by FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass to break down the operation and arrests. The press conference will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, and can be viewed live in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
