Smoke from Buckingham mulch fire to persist for days

BUCKINGHAM, Fla. The mulch fire that took place near Tice Street and Staley Road is now 100 percent contained but continues to cause a lot of smoke, Bayshore Fire & Rescue Chief Larry Nisbet said.

“It looks a lot better but you can see that there’s still a lot of heat and a lot of fire that’s deep-seated in that material.” Nisbet said.

Firefighters are still dealing with the root of the problem. In order to make sure the blaze does not start up again, they have to take the mulch apart.

And that produces even more smoke.

“Our biggest challenge yesterday was water supply, getting enough water supply to sustain a suppression operation,” Nisbet said. “We were well over 100 thousand gallons, close to 150 thousand.”

Residents should try to stay inside throughout the rest of this week to avoid the smoke, firefighters said.

Crews told officials at Manatee Elementary School and Oak Hammock Elementary School to keep students inside Tuesday.