Fire officials with Polk Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service continue to battle two pop-up fires Thursday associated with the larger "630 Fire" near the Indian Lake Estates subdivision.

The two new fires have forced evacuations, officials said. See below for the latest updates: 

10:30 p.m. UPDATE

Polk Fire Rescue says the 630 Fire has burned 4,000 acres so far.

Affected areas

  • North and south of SR 60
  • South of SR 630
  • River Ranch Hunting Club
  • Indian Lake Estates

Message to the public

From Polk Fire Rescue:

"People in the area will see hotspots. This is normal. Also, residents need to stay alert and watch for emergency vehicles. Our crews’ response time have been delayed at times due to motorists slowing down to look at damage."

Fire crews say low winds Friday will help keep the first from spreading, but it may also lead to an increased chance of smoke spreading across State Road 60 and County Road 630.

Dispersion will be low, which will help prevent hot spots. But humidity is also low, which means there is a higher potential for flare-ups.

The fire has destroyed two single family homes and nine mobile homes. The fire has also killed one dog.

6 p.m. 

The map below, provided by Polk County Fire Rescue, shows a visual estimate of the burn areas and active fires.

  • Indian Lake Estates burn area from Wednesday is in Orange
  • The burn area north of State Road 60 is in yellow
  • The active fires are outlined in red

The active fires are south of State Road 60 and east of County Road 630.

"The northwest wind is pushing the fires to the southeast. It is the consensus of Polk County Fire Rescue and Florida Forest Service that Westgate River Ranch Resort is not a major concern for the evening," Polk Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post at 5:46 p.m.

There is an estimated 3.5-mile distance between any fire activity and the resort. 

Weather conditions will be re-evaluated in the morning to assess any potential for an eastward spread of the fire.


(Map provided by Polk County Fire Rescue)

5 p.m. UPDATE

Polk fire officials are advising people in hunting camps off State Road 60 and County Road 630 at the River Ranch Hunt Club to vacate and seek alternative shelter.

The fire has burned approximately 3,000 acres.

4 p.m. UPDATE

Fires have re-ignited in three different hotspots south of County Road 630 and north of State Road 60. One of the hotspots is near the River Ranch community. Residents there have reportedly been re-evacuated.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Forestry and fire officials are watching over about 2,000 acres after a fast-moving brush fire scorched parts of Polk County on Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday.  

Polk County Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service crews are on standby near the area in Frostproof after the fire damaged some properties near the Indian Lake Estates. There were no injuries.

At least one mobile home was destroyed near the subdivision while damage was limited to sheds and vehicles inside of Indian Lake Estates, fire officials said. 

The large fire broke out late Wednesday morning. High winds helped the flames sweep across the area quickly Wednesday, prompting evacuations in Indian Lake Estates and the closure of State Road 60 and County Road 630. 

The evacuations were lifted at 2:30 a.m. Thursday and the roadways were both reopened by 7 a.m. 

"There fire is contained, but not 100 percent out," Polk County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby Bohn said early Thursday. 

Bohn said crews spent the overnight hours making sure the 800 homes in the Indian Lakes Estates community were out of danger. 

Firefighters remain on scene to monitor the remaining flames. Meanwhile, the FFS is monitoring flames and smoke along the roadways. 

Polk County Emergency Management, Polk County Building Division and the American Red Cross are assessing damaged or destroyed properties. 

"We believe we did a good job yesterday and today," Bohn said. "Now we'll just go out and finish putting out the spot fires and other things."

Interactive map: Brush fire locations