Charlotte County condos and co-ops may soon see a change to inspectionsUncertain future for pickleball at East Naples Community Park
Firefighters working to contain the 30th Ave fire in Golden Gate Estates. GOLDEN GATE ESTATES, Fla. Collier County commissioners approved a local state of emergency Tuesday, paving the way for more funding to address wildfire recovery. A local state of emergency doesn’t necessarily represent imminent danger. The move, in tandem with the statewide state of emergency that Gov. Rick Scott declared two weeks ago, is designed to provide aid for relief efforts from fires that have burned thousands of acres. The 30th Avenue brush fire, which destroyed four homes and forced the evacuation of some 7,000 others, is up to 75 percent containment and remains an estimated 7,068 acres, the Florida Forest Service said Tuesday afternoon. The #30thAveFire remains at 7,068 acres but has been bumped up to 75% contained as fire crews continue to make good progress. pic.twitter.com/OOmOYMa3Yk — Caloosahatchee FC (@FFS_cafc) April 25, 2017 The County Commission also officially approved a burn ban that county manager Leo Ochs declared Friday. A heavy brush fire season has menaced the county, which dealt with a more than 7,000-acre blaze in the Picayune Strand State Forest last month that also destroyed four homes. Last week’s 30th Avenue fire was a threat not just for human residents but for animals as well. The NGALA Wildlife Preserve, which was within the evacuation zone, sustained extensive damage to the woods on its property and had to evacuate animals and cancel events. Photo via Craig Weinbaum / Facebook NGALA CEO Donovan Smith was hospitalized with second-degree burns after he stayed back to protect a rhinoceros on the property that wasn’t able to be evacuated. “When they first told me I had to go back there and protect a rhinoceros, I thought it was a joke,” Greater Naples Fire Rescue District Capt. Craig Weinbaum said. Weinbaum took a picture of the rhino and posted it to his Facebook page, lending a moment of levity to the rescue effort that kept the animal safe. “My kids thought it was incredible, animal lovers that they are,” Weinbaum said. “It was a pretty neat part of this terrible situation.”