36
homes were completely destroyed and 5 more were damaged in a fast
moving wildfire in Eastpoint on Sunday.
County
officials completed their assessment of the fire damage on Monday and
say that the damage to homes totaled 800 thousand dollars, and that
does not include destroyed belongings or vehicles.
The
majority of the destroyed homes were on Ridge Road.
An
estimated two hundred people are now displaced as a result of the
fire, and many of them are without insurance.
The
fire started sometime between 5 and 6 o'clock Sunday afternoon, most
likely near Limerock Road which is is a highly wooded area.
The
cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials feel it was
likely caused by a recent controlled burn in the area that flared up
or possibly by a lightning strike.
The
winds pushed the fire quickly toward the residential neighborhoods
along Ridge road, otter slide road and wilderness road where dozens
of homes were destroyed.
The
total size of the fire is estimated between 600 and 700 acres.
So
far Governor Rick Scott has visited the county to get a first hand
look at the damage, and agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam will
visit the area on Tuesday.
Governor
Scott said he will see if there is state or federal assistance
available to the residents who are now homeless.
If
you would like to help, there are many different ways to donate to
the fire victims – the most effective is likely a cash donation
through Franklin's Promise or through the gofundme page set up by the
Franklin County sheriff's office.
You
can find the link to make an on-line donation to either site at
oysterradio.com and on the Oyster Radio facebook page.
A
number of churches are asking that people hold off on donating more
clothing at this time because they are getting swamped by clothes and
don't have enough people to sort through them all.
Items
that are needed include Toiletries
including shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes,
combs, deodorant, feminine hygiene items, and diapers.
New
or very slightly used blankets, pillows, and air mattresses are also
needed for use in shelters.
If
you need pet food or some place to keep your pets for the short term,
the Florida Wild Mammal Association has pet crates and air kennels as
well as pet food.
Call
them at 850-510-4568 and they will bring the items to the area.
The
Mystic Crewe of Salty Barkers are also collecting pet food and other
items to help with the large number of animals also displaced by the
fire.
Those
donations can be taken to the Eastpoint Church of God on Avenue A in
Eastpoint or to to
the law offices of Miller Tack and Madson at 86 Commerce Street in
Apalachicola
And
if you are missing your pet after the fire, Animal Control went
through the affected neighborhoods collecting Animals so you can call
670-8167 to see if they picked up your pet.
https://www.gofundme.com/eastpoint-fire-victim-relief-fund
http://live.oysterradio.com/
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