08-05-2025
Palm Bay fire officials say multiple wildfires across the city have been contained
All of the brush fires that Palm Bay, state and other agencies fought on Wednesday — including 250-to-300 acres of suspicious wildland blazes in the Compound and another set off in a homeless camp by a burning police car — have been put out or are contained, fire officials said. The big worry, however, is that southern Brevard remains in dry conditions with little relief in sight, said John Ringleb, spokesperson for Palm Bay Fire Rescue told FLORIDA TODAY.
'We're in near drought conditions for the next couple of days, so we're asking everyone to be vigilant,' Ringleb said, just days after Brevard County issued a burn ban.
Palm Bay Fire Rescue crews battled back at least four major fires across the city Wednesday, April 24, with one that forced evacuations in a neighborhood in southeast Palm Bay and others with flames burning through dried-out vegetation at the Compound.
A Palm Bay police officer suffered minor injuries while trying to put out his burning patrol car while checking in on a homeless camp set up behind homes off of Onyx Drive. "The cause of the vehicle fire is currently under review," Lt. Virginia Kilmer, spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Police Department.
No other injuries or property damage was reported.
Another blaze scorched the palms and pine trees at another homeless camp off of Interstate Court, just east of Interstate 95.
The brush fires all were reported early in the afternoon, Wednesday, April 23, and quickly spread across five acres. A large black column of smoke from the fire could be seen for several miles. Smoke from the Compound fires — there were at least three separate blazes — could be seen for several miles. Spectators drove through the mostly abandoned area, parking along the craggy roads and watched as the Brevard County sheriff's office used bucket drops to battle back the fires.
Ringleb said at least 30 Palm Bay firefighters were tasked with battling the blaze. The agency also had assistance from Brevard County, the Division of Forestry, the sheriff's office and Malabar.
'We had to allocate our resources very carefully,' Ringleb said, pointing out that there were other rescue calls the department had to handle at the same time. Fire crews continued to check the different sites through the night, knocking back hot spots and dousing smoldering vegetation. Some of the fires can burrow beneath the ground to get at dried out organic material beneath the surface, sometimes burning for days, fire experts point out.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which measures soil moisture, is at 500 out of 800, which means there is drought and an increased risk of fire danger, fire officials say.
Last week, several small brush fires burned through portions of wildland along John Rodes Parkway in Melbourne. Officials have not determined a cause for those fires.
Conditions continue to remain extremely dry across much of Brevard County, with temperatures hovering in the mid-80s with little chance of rain heading into the weekend.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@ Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay wildfires contained
