1,100 Acre Gulf State Park Wildfire Contained, Cause Revealed

5:56 p.m. Friday
Firefighters say the wildfire started Saturday when an ember from a girll in the campgrounds blew into the woods.

3:48 p.m. Friday
The Gulf Park State Wildfire is 100% contained and no more back burning is planned. Crews will continue mop up work and are on alert for any re-kindling possibilities.

"We couldn't be happier right now," says Keith Martin, Assistant Chief of the Gulf Shores Fire Department.

Portions of the Hugh S Branyon Back Country Trail will be reopened today - Catman Road (trail head at Hwy 161) and Rosemary Dunes (trail head at Hwy 182). The portions that are closed for now are: Campground Road, Rattlesnake Ridge, Gulf Oak Ridge and Twin Bridges

Twenty-nine groups joined the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Fire Departments battle the wildfire. Ten of those are volunteer fire departments.
"Our heroes are the volunteer departments that have given up their free time and come in to assist us," Martin says.

Wildfire Warriors
Gulf Shores Fire/Rescue
Orange Beach Fire/Rescue
Alabama National Guard
Alabama State Troopers Aviation unit
Alabama Forestry Commission
Florida Department of Forestry
Alabama Dept of Conservation
Alabama State Parks Gulf State Park
Alabama Dept of Homeland Security
Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency
Baldwin County Sheriff's Office
Gulf Shores Police Department
City of Gulf Shores executive Department
City of Orange Beach GIS Dept
City of Gulf Shores GIS Dept
Baldwin County Baptist Emergency CARE
Foley Fire Department
Fort Morgan Volunteer Fire Department
Oyster Bay Volunteer Fire Department
Bon Secour Volunteer Fire Department
Magnolia Springs Volunteer Fire Department
Marlow Volunteer Fire Department
Josephine Volunteer Fire Department
Elberta Volunteer Fire Department
Perdido Beach Volunteer Fire Department
Barnwell Volunteer Fire Department
Robertsdale Volunteer Fire Department
Bay Minette Fire/Rescue
Upper Epworth Fire Dept

10:18 a.m. Friday
The fire is 100% contained and 95% controlled. Firefighters hope to put it out today.

6:40 p.m. Thursday
Firefighters called the Chinook back into action when the winds picked back up and intensified the fire.

Tourism officials are expecting record crowds for the 4th of July weekend, despite the wildfire.

2:49 p.m. Thursday
News 5's Debbie Williams says winds have intensified the Gulf State Park wildfire. Ash and ember are now raining down on the Azalea Village RV resort and the Beaver Creek subdivision.

Fire crews are standing by, ready to put out any fires the embers may start.

The wind is also preventing firefighters from shooting more flares to burn up more fuel.

10:40 p.m. Wednesday
Winds will blow the fire north, but firefighters will be ready. They're staging a defensive line at the Oak Ridge Trail. Bulldozers and brush trucks will try to stop the fire from advancing further north and catch any spot overs. That's where wind blown embers can start fires beyond the fire line.

Firefighters could take down the wildfire Thursday, if everything goes accodring to plan.

8:20 p.m. Wednesday
A Florida Division of Forestry chopper dropped ping pong sized balls, filled with chemicals, onto the fire. The balls ignited when they hit the ground, starting back burns in a 120 acre area that's tough for firefighters to reach on the ground. The back burns are eating up a lot of dead trees and brush, killed by Hurricane Ivan. It would've been enough fuel to keep the fire burning all summer long.

"What we need to do is get this fire cleared out because we need people down here for the 4th of July," says Governor Robert Bentley.

Bentley flew down to Gulf Shores to get a look at the fire himself and what's being done to stop it.

Gary Cole with the Alabama Forestry Commission says the wildfire is now 95% controlled.

10:25 a.m. Wednesday
The wildfire has now burned 1,000 acres.

Governor Robert Bentley will be in Gulf Shores this afternoon to see the wildfire for himself. He will see firsthand how close this fire is burning to homes and neighborhoods. Bentley is expected to land in Gulf Shores at three o'clock. He will then take an aerial tour. A News 5 photographer will be flying with him in the helicopter. After the flight, Bentley will have a news conference at 4:30 p.m. You can watch it live on wkrg.com

The Alabama Forestry Commission is asking Florida for help. They're hoping Florida can loan a specialized chopper to drop either a gel like substance on the fire to douse the flames or shoot ping pong balls containing a nitrogen/fertilizer mix which explode and burn up fuel. But the Florida Forestry Commission has its hands full fighting 218 wildfires, including one in Pensacola. Fourty four of the 218 fires are over 100 acres.

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9:24 p.m. Tuesday
Firefighters set two controlled burns, called back burns, to choke out the wildfire. They used flare guns to light the second back burn because they could not reach the area by foot.

The Alabama Forestry Commission says they are close to having the fire under control.

The Chinook helicopter brought in today should help. The Chinook's mission is to soak the northern and western boarders of the fire. It also puts out any spot fires, if the flames jump the fire break.

The forestry service says the chopper, which can dump up to 2,000 at a time, really made a difference.

1:28 p.m. Tuesday
The Alabama Forestry Commission estimates the fire has now burned 560 acres.

Firefighters are shooting flares into areas they can't reach on foot, trying to start a back burn.

1:13 p.m. Tuesday
Rain is hampering relief efforts. It's not enough to douse the 500 acre wildfire, but the rain did smolder the back burn.

The Alabama National Guard Chinook helicopter arrived from Birmingham about 12:15 p.m. Equipped with a bucket on loan from the Mississippi National Guard, the Chinook can drop 2,000 gallons of water on the fire.

Crews are hoping the rain will let up enough to set the second fire and create a "burn out"

7:23 a.m. Tuesday
The first back burn is under way. The Chinooks are scheduled to arrive around 1:00 p.m.

1:50 a.m. Tuesday
Firefighters will get very aggressive with the fire later today. Around 6:00 a.m., they will set a back burn along the Gulf Oak Ridge Trail, which is on the the west side of Gulf State park.

Two Chinook helicopters should arrive around 11:00 a.m. They can each dump four times more water with each drop than the DPS helicopter currently being used.

Late in the afternoon, firefighters will light a second fire near the campgrounds. When the two converge, they will create a "burnout." The fire burns up all the fuel (trees, brush, etc), leaving the wildfire nothing else to consume. Without the burnout, the 500 acre wildfire could burn for a few more weeks.

8:00 p.m. Monday
State trooper pilots have made hundreds of “drops” using the DPS’s Bell 407 helicopter equipped with a 180-gallon “bambi bucket” to dump more than 70,000 gallons of water onto the wildfire.

5:47 p.m. Monday
Governor Robert Bentley has declared a State of Emergency in Baldwin County. The declaration will free up more state resources to contain the fire as quickly as possible.

“Local officials are working around the clock to contain this fire, and I am hopeful they will be successful,” said Governor Bentley. “The fires have not affected the beaches of Gulf Shores or Orange Beach. I want to encourage people who have plans to travel to the gulf for the upcoming holiday to continue with their vacation plans.”

Governor Bentley has directed the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Alabama Forestry Commission to provide the necessary assessment of damages and seek state and federal assistance for the affected areas.

3:43 p.m. Monday
The wildfire has now burned 500 acres.

3:31 p.m. Monday
The wildfires are taking a toll on Orange Beach businesses. People are not shopping because of all the smoke.

3:05 p.m. Monday
The Alabama National Guard is bringing two Chinook helicoptersto help battle the fire.

Right now, firefighters are depending on a Department of Public Safety helicopter to dump buckets of water on the 400 acre wildfire. It can only hold 185 gallons. Each Chinook can hold up to 750 gallons of water. That will nearly double the amount of water on each drop.

Monday 3:30 a.m.
Chief Wesley McConnell says there were no problems overnight. The smoke is still heavy across the area. Crews did encounter a flare up now and then throughout the night, but they were able to keep on top of them. Chief McConnell says they are just waiting to see if the wind will shift as the sun comes up.

Update 9:40 p.m. Sunday
It may be a couple days before this fire is out. Battalion Chief Jeff Smith says the fire is contained but certainly not under control. Because of high winds in the afternoon they had two instances of the fire jumping Canal road. The first instance near the Wharf was put out quickly. The second instance near a veterinary clinic is contained.

Smith says there are no evacuations at this time and no reports of major property damage. He says homeowners living near the fire should keep an eye on the situation and be ready to move if things change.

While it was windy in the afternoon, things seemed to have calmed down after dark. That’s good for firefighters who need calm winds for the fire to stay in one place. The only injury reported was from an Alabama State Forester who was stung by some sort of insect. He had an adverse reaction and was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The fire continues to eat up park land. The Alabama Forestry Commission estimates 400 acres have burned so far.

Sunday 7:00 p.m.
The wildfire has surrounded the command post at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The road leading to the sportsplex, William Silvers Pkwy/Public Works Road

Firemen battling the fire at William Silvers Pkwy
Courtesy: The Orange Beach Community Website

View of the Orange Beach Sportsplex on Saturday evening
Courtesy: Joe Boyington

Sunday 5:30 p.m.
Wildfire has jumped Canal Road and is burning a wooded area near The Wharf. Heavy smoke, fire and emergency crews in the area.

Canal Road West
Courtesy: Barbara Pearson 

Update 3:40 p.m.
Crews continue to try and keep the wildfire in south Baldwin County contained. The major concern now is keeping it away from businesses along Canal Road between Money Bayou Drive and William Silver Parkway.

Chief Forney Howard says the fire jumped a line and set a city debris pile on fire. He says that’s under control. At this time no homes are threatened.

Over on the Gulf Shores side of the blaze Alabama State Foresters try cutting lines to keep the fire contained. Winds have picked up and created some concern about the fire spreading. Foresters say they lost one bulldozer. It got stuck as the fire got closer.

Click here to see live video of the fire.

Earlier this morning the fire ruptured a gas line but that appeared under control.

A State Trooper helicopter continues to drop water on the fire to make up for a lack of rain.

Dead trees from Hurricane Ivan continue to become fuel for the fire at the Gulf State Park.

Update 11:49 a.m.
Orange Beach Fire officials remain optimistic that this wildfire will remain under control today. The chief says members of the State Forestry Commission are building more fire breaks on the west side of the blaze.

Officials say homes that were being threatened Saturday are safe at this time. There are no orders to evacuate Orange Beach homes but Police will notify homeowners if the situation changes.

So far the only structure to be damaged is part of a bridge on the edge of a ball field at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. No injuries have been reported. An exact cause has not been determined. They do know it started on the campgrounds of Gulf State Park. Officials estimate somewhere between 175-200 acres have been burned.

This is a picture of the only damaged structure.

There are still small fires smoldering throughout the edge of the Orange Beach Sportsplex.

Officials say they worked hard to protect the new Orange Beach sewage facility overnight, that does not appear to be damaged.

Sunday 7:30 a.m.
Orange Beach firefighter Wade Stevens says back burning efforts overnight were relatively successful. He says the wildfire is still contained and that weather conditions overnight were favorable to firefighters.

Aerial drops of water from helicopters will resume this morning. Stevens says there were a couple spots where spot fires jumped the line of the main fire but they too have been contained. There are no evacuations at this time except for a portion of the Gulf State Park.

People living in housing developments in Orange Beach near the fire should be advised there still is a danger today. The homes are considered safe at this time but homeowners should be alert still today if the direction or intensity of fire changes.

Sunday 12:19 a.m.
The Alabama Forestry Commission call this "a dangerous fire." Overnight, they are starting what's called a backfire in hopes of keeping it contained. The forestry commission will bring in fresh firefighters tomorrow morning.

News 5's Chad Petri will be back out on the scene tomorrow morning.

Video of the fire Saturday night

Wildfire at 11:00 p.m. (5/25) from the Seawind condo
Courtesy of News 5 Facebook fan Suzanne Simpson

9:21 p.m.
The fire is contained but not under control.

Wharf marina
Courtesy: Ken Cooper

8:25 p.m.
Residents of the Beaver Creek Subdivision have been told to be ready to evacuate

7:41 p.m.
Orange Beach Fire Chief Forney Howard says the 250 acre wildfire should be contained within one hour. Firefighters are using helicopters to drop buckets of water on the flames.

7:37 p.m.
Only the campgrounds located in the east end of Gulf State Park are being evacuated.

5:20 p.m.
The wildfire is now 200 acres. It started as a small 2-3 acre wildfire around lunchtime.

5:10 p.m.
The entire campground at Gulf State park is now being evacuated.

4:27 p.m.
The Orange Beach Fire Department is evacuating people who live in the Azalea Village Mobile Home Park on Canal Road.

3:37 p.m.
Gulf State Park Director Mike Guinn says the fire is now spreading in all directions. They are evacuating 100 camp sites.

2:58 p.m.
City of Orange beach firefighters have been called into assist. They will set backfires.

1:36 p.m.
The fire started near the camp grounds and is moving north to north east.

At this time, no homes or structures are in danger. But the smoke can be seen for miles.

Hwy 59 in Gulf Shores
Courtesy of News 5 Facebook fan Misty Destin Holifield

View from the canal
Courtesy of News 5 Facebook fan Emily Burke

Courtesy: www.OrangeBeach.ws and Trident Aircraft Flight School