What are muck fires?
Muck fire—a fire that burns into the organic matter in the soil. Muck fires produce a lot of smoke and are very difficult to extinguish.
What is Paul’s muck fire that is always burning?
The muck fires constantly burn because of lignite. Wayne explains that lignite is basically a step before coal. It’s a substance that feeds the fires so that they never stop.
How long do muck fires usually last?
These fires can burn for weeks, and are extremely hard to extinguish. Most of the time they don’t cause any problems, but occasionally the work their way to the surface, and can ignite material above the ground. But the majority of them just smolder under ground, and create a horrible odor that lasts for weeks.
How long does it take for a muck fire to burn?
Muck fires result when the loose, organic material found below the top layer of soil ignites and produces a sub-surface fire that can burn for weeks and reach temperatures of more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
How does a muck fire affect the forest?
In addition to being difficult to extinguish, muck fires can produce noxious fumes and spread destructive heat to tree roots, causing trees to topple. The heat generated by a muck fire can also transfer underground horizontally to neighboring areas and ignite forest fires yards away from the original subsurface fire.
Where are the muck fires in Central Florida?
One muck fire in Central Florida burned for more than a year, he said. South Dade and Palm Beach counties are more likely to have muck fires this year than Broward County, which had many last year, Dempsey said. Because Broward County and northern Dade County had so many fires, there is less fuel for the fires that ignite muck, he said.
What happens when Sawgrass and muck catch on fire?
Muck fires do not occur every time sawgrass and other plants catch on fire, Dempsey said. But slow, hot and lengthy fires often burn into the ground and ignite the muck, he said. When muck catches fire, it becomes a smoldering layer of white ash that can burn for months, Dempsey said.