Brush fires have forced about 7,000 mandatory evacuations in Collier County, according to reports.

ST. PETERSBURG – Around 6 a.m. this morning (April 22), a St. Petersburg Fire Rescue crew headed out to Collier County to combat wildfire raging in the area.

The St. Petersburg crew is part of a Bay Area Strike team made up of five fire engines from around the Tampa Bay area and a district commander. Each engine has three to four firefighters. They are scheduled to be in Collier for 72 hours.

Collier County is in southwest Florida, south of Fort Meyers. According to reports from Accuweather, one brush fire, known as the 30th Avenue fire, has burned 5,500 acres and is 10 percent contained. At least 7,000 homes have been evacuated and nine homes have been destroyed.

For information about St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, go to fire.stpete.org.

Photo courtesy of St. Pete Fire Rescue.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue | Bay Area Strike Team | Wildfires | Fires | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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