POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WTSP) -- The ominous clouds over eastern Polk County on Tuesday afternoon were a welcome sign for the people who live there. And so is what they brought with them.
“Nature's fire department is basically what it is, so it works pretty good,” resident Rick Cantu said.
Cantu said he’s thankful for the rain, considering just a couple of weeks ago he saw smoke billowing out of the forest not far from his house.
“What amazes me the most is how quick that can spread out here,” he said.
Thanks to forestry crews, and in part to the rain, that hasn't happened. The fire is now about 90 percent contained.
“I do believe that the rain will slow things down for a couple of days,” said Peter Lewis, senior forest ranger for the Florida Forest Service.
Still, he explained, if it's sunny and dry for the next several days after a storm, that's all it takes for the ground to dry up. Then, the risk is right back to where it was.
“I was hoping we only had rain, no lightning coming with that,” Lewis said.
Tuesday's storms did bring lightning, increasing the chances of another wildfire sparking.
“I don't think you can have one without the other down here,” Cantu said. “It's just a fact of life.”
While the rain is a relief, forestry crews say one day of it doesn't mean we're out of the woods this wildfire season.
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