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Florida: ‘Controlled’ blaze blamed for 36 homes destroyed
EASTPOINT, Fla. — John Matthew Polous watched a “controlled-burn” fire for three days as it consumed foliage outside his tiny community on the Florida Panhandle. And then he watched as it quickly raged out of control. What he doesn’t understand is why it took government officials until Wednesday to acknowledge that they were the ones responsible for the blaze that destroyed 36 homes, including his.
Polous, a shrimper and oysterman, lost 14 boats, his home and pickup trucks in the quick-moving conflagration Sunday that left behind a trail of ash and ruins in Eastpoint, just across the river from the historic town of Apalachicola.
“They finally admitted to what done it, now let’s see what they are going to do,” Polous, 51, said while walking through the burned remains of his home. “Why was they even burning this time of year back here? That don’t make sense, but they was and there’s nothing nobody can do about it.”
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced Wednesday that the fire was caused by a Tallahassee company hired by the state’s wildlife commission to do controlled burns on state lands. Putnam said an investigation by his office eliminated other possible causes, including lightning, arson or an accident.