SANIBEL, Fla. — Federal and local crews are preparing to conduct a prescribed burn on more than 100 acres at the "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, marking the first controlled burn on Sanibel Island since Hurricane Ian devastated the area.
Watch as Sanibel Community Corrrespondent Anvar Ruziev speaks with neighbors around the J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge about their burn concerns:
The controlled burn will take place inside the Legion Curve Unit—an area loaded with dead trees and brush left behind after Ian. Federal wildlife officials say that buildup poses a dangerous fire risk and needs to be cleared.
"We've been looking forward to this since Hurricane Ian. We knew that there was just a lot of fuel — dead vegetation being fuel — on the ground. And this will be a good start to really kind of clean that up and help recover our ecosystems or our habitats out here for wildlife too," Kevin Godsea, Refuge Manager, said.
The prescribed burn will cover approximately 110 acres. While it's meant to restore natural fire-dependent habitats for species like the swallow-tailed kite and Sanibel Island rice rat, some neighbors aren't convinced it's worth the risk.
"We are very concerned. We're concerned about contaminants and the smoke. And what would be the evacuation plan if something did come? You know, get out of control. Where would we go? There aren't any really roads that lead us out of this area safely," Kim, a neighbor, said.
To reduce those risks, officials are closing one lane of Sanibel Captiva Road on Tuesday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Crews will use drones to drop ignition devices inside the refuge, while police monitor traffic and pathways.
"We definitely have contingency plans and certainly resources here to handle that — including resources from Sanibel Fire Department. I think all our bases are covered with contingency plans," Godsea said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says conditions are right—with light winds and a recent rise in the water table. They say the burns will be conducted slowly enough for wildlife to escape the path of the flames, and those with smoke sensitivity may want to leave the island for the day.
Officials say the burn is expected to last just one day, and they expect traffic will slow down on Sanibel Captiva Road from 11 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon.
City officials say they'll monitor air quality, and more prescribed burns could happen this year if conditions allow.
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