HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Firefighters in Hillsborough County are locked in a heavy battle against a fast-moving wildfire that has consumed roughly 350 acres in the Wimauma area. The blaze, which ignited Sunday afternoon near Bethlehem Cemetery, has forced a massive mobilization of local and state resources as crews scramble to get the flames under control.
The first emergency calls reached dispatchers at 2:29 PM, but what started as a small pocket of fire quickly spiraled out of hand. Bone-dry vegetation combined with powerful wind gusts acted like fuel to a furnace, pushing the perimeter across the landscape at an alarming rate.
Within just a few hours, the fire grew from a manageable patch of woods to a sprawling emergency that has sent thick plumes of smoke over the region…