News Cast September 9th:
Animals rescued from animal rescue
The barn at Sanctuary 51 was destroyed by fire on Sunday.
Okeechobee County Fire Rescue crews found the barn fully engulfed as they arrived.
The facility is located north of Fort Drum on 441 and houses many exotic animals from Africa and other parts of the world.
Okeechobee firemen got mutual aid from Osceola County Fire Rescue Kenansville station.
All of the exotic animals were safely evacuated from the barn and no one was injured.
The State Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of the blaze.
State Road 70 west remains closed after two tractor trailers collide.
The sheriff said due to a large diesel fuel spill the road will be closed for most of the day.
There were no injuries. The Florida Highway Patrol said one of the tractor trailers caught on fire. The driver was able to get out of the cab. They were dispatched at 6:09 am.
Traffic is being detoured onto Old Dixie and 721 around the crash. Expect delays if you leave at River Bluff RV park or off SW 144th parkway.
Highlands County will start construction next month on a new fire station off US 98 on Airport Road.
They note it will increase response times to Lorida and outlying areas by six to seven minutes.
They have few calls in eastern Highlands county and currently no staff in Lorida. They reported 249 calls for service in areas from Lorida to the Okeechobee County line in the past 12 months.
Fire Chief Kelly Duppenthaler said they have only two volunteers at the Lorida fire station currently but are hoping to recruit and train more.
“We continue to make effort to get more volunteers but at this point that is where were at.”
Duppenthaler said they appreciate the assistance they get from the Brighton Seminole Fire Station and from Okeechobee County Fire Rescue.
“In that area, Lorida, Brighton and Kissimmee River Estates, we get very few calls. We had over 22,000 in the county and that area accounts for just over one percent of the calls.”
Mosquito spraying has increased this month in Okeechobee due to constant complaints.
The persistent rains we have been getting have increased the bug population.
County Commissioner Brad Goodbread says he gets a lot of phone calls this time of year especially from Ferrel Road, Four Seasons and Treasure Island.
Glades County finished work on new mining regulations. They will require bonds for damage done to county roads. Residents have been complaining about dump trucks going through residential areas.
County attorney Richard Pringle said there are a lot of issues with the mine ordinance.
“This is a big deal. It affects a use in the county that can potentially have a substantial impact.
Resident Sara Jewel said residents don’t want mines near their homes due to noise and truck traffic.
“You need to consider the residents. These are who you take care of. We need to have representation in our government that is precluding what everyone thinks is so terrifically important and that is money.”
Glades County is a key provider of sand for Florida beaches.