Todd Nazworth is not only Starkey Wilderness Preserve’s supervisor but he also lives at the park with his wife and four kids. That is why it was especially frightening watching so much of the park burn.
“Especially not knowing, because the wind kept changing directions.We was on edge for probably about a week.”
The fire move moved quickly spurred on by incredibly dry conditions.
“It was kind of like the perfect storm," said Nazworth. "The right pressure. The right wind.”
You can still see thousands of trees burned. Benches were charred. Signs melted.
“There is just a stump left of a post," said Nazworth.
Thankfully no one was hurt, and the fire didn’t threaten any homes outside the park. Now life is coming back. Palmettos and wildflowers sprouting from the ashes.
“How mother nature works. Out with the old and in with the new," said Nazworth.
Visitors are back too, like Steve Becker and his German Shepard Shelby.
“My wife and I took ten years to walk every acre in here. So now we’ve been on every single part of the property,” said Becker.
There are some restricted areas where there is still the danger of falling threes. But 75 percent of the trails are open. It will still take months of work and thousands of dollars, to clean up.
Officials still have not said what started the fire.
