LOCAL

Fire crews contain mulch fire along Immokalee Road

Alexi C. Cardona
alexi.cardona@naplesnews.com; 239-403-6153

North Collier Fire Rescue crews battled a mulch fire Saturday at a plant on Immokalee Road.

The mulch pile ignited at Jones' Mining Company, 1600 Immokalee Road, late Friday night; crews worked to contain the fire overnight and into the morning, according to Jorge Aguilera, a spokesman for the district.

The fire grew to four acres as winds coming from the southeast fanned the fire toward the northwest. Fire officials had worried about the blaze jumping Immokalee Road, but as of early Saturday evening, the fire had stayed within the mine.

Aguilera said smoke from the mulch fire is expected in the area for the next several days, and fire crews will remain at the mine overnight to monitor the fire.

Although there are no homes in the area, Aguilera said, there are walking trails and other areas where people can get caught up in smoke and a growing fire.

Officials closed the long walking trail at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the Shady Hollow walking trails as a precaution.

Smoke from the mulch fire can be seen from Orangetree, 5 miles south of the fire.

"We want to reduce the possibility of people being on the other side of this fire," Aguilera said earlier Saturday. "If it crosses the road, things will get interesting."

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