ST. GEORGE ISLAND, Fla. (WTXL) - The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is charging Rick Crossen with starting the fire on St. George Island that started Saturday. Crossen, who has not been booked into jail, is being charged with a second-degree misdemeanor for letting a fire get out of hand.
Firefighters are keeping a close eye on St. George Island today after that fire spanned several blocks over the weekend.
Over the weekend, part of this island was on fire, burning for hours. You can see the scene; all of it charred, covered in ash. The sheriff says it could've been a lot worse.
Take a look at some scenes from earlier today. The Florida Forest Service was here checking on hotspots, cooling off areas that might reignite.
This all started because someone lit yard debris on fire. The winds carried up those flames, burning a much larger portion.
The Sheriff says this could've gotten way out of hand. If you look where I am right now, this is the scene where the fire started. They were worried about it crossing the street and going on to this line of residences over here.
The Sheriff said that somehow no homes were damaged, and no one was injured. A major crisis averted.
The Sheriff says he doesn't expect a drop in tourism because of the fire. He said officials were pretty quick to act to make sure that it was contained as soon as possible but there are still some road closures in the area.
