fire

If you see a rather large plume of smoke over western Nassau County today, don't worry. Boulogne is not on fire.

The Florida Division of Forestry authorized several control burns in Nassau, Duval and Clay counties today. In Nassau County, firefighters are burning an estimated 30 acres of Ralph Simmons State Forest off Lake Hampton Road in Boulogne.

This burn, and the others, are authorized to reduce the chance for wildfires, said Wildlife Mitigation Specialist Annaleasa Winter. Forestry Supervisor Mike Work said in December that control burns protect against wildfire by burning leaves, pine straw and palmetto branches covering the ground, which can fuel these fires.

Do you know anyone in California who's being affected by the California wildfires who's been through Florida wildfires or who has Nassau County connections? We'd like to hear from them. Please email us at kevin.turner@mynassausun.com.