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Figure 4 . 7 . Florida wildland fire acres burned , 1981 — 2002 . <br /> 700 ,000 <br /> 600 ,000 <br /> 500 ,000 <br /> 400 ,000 <br /> 300 ,000 <br /> 200 ,000 <br /> 100 ,000 <br /> 0 <br /> . 3h 1 0 b <br /> NCP No) <br /> N Ncbo cc b, <br /> Source : Florida Division of Forestry , 2004 . <br /> Data on wildland fire for Indian River County indicate that between 1993 and <br /> 2003 , there were a total of 454 wildland fires that burned 18 , 791 acres . Lightning , debris , or <br /> children were the most common ignition source for wildland fires in Indian River County <br /> ( Florida Division of Forestry , 2004) . The Division of Forestry data did not provide a breakout <br /> of fire occurrence by municipality . <br /> A muck fire is a fire that consumes all the organic material of the forest floor and <br /> *41W also burns into the underlying soil . It differs from a surface fire by being invulnerable to wind . <br /> If the fire gets deep into the ground , it could smolder for several years . In a surface fire , the <br /> flames are visible , and burning is accelerated by wind . Whereas in a muck fire , wind is not <br /> generally a serious factor ( Canadian Soil Information System , 1996 ) . Another extraordinary <br /> fact about muck fires has to do with their release of carbon dioxide . A peat bog that is on fire <br /> can release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than all the power stations and car <br /> engines emit in Western Europe in 1 year ( Pearce , 1997 ) . This type of fire could have a <br /> significant impact on global warming . <br /> Historic Events. Muck fires are not a frequent threat to Florida . However, during <br /> a drought in the 1980 ' s , fires in the Everglades consumed the rich , dried out muck that had <br /> once been the bottom of the swamp . These fires burned deep into the ground and required <br /> alternative firefighting techniques . Muck fires occur very infrequently in Indian River County , <br /> and the only areas where this hazard might produce impacts are in the western portions of <br /> the County . At the present time , muck fires are not considered a significant hazard . <br /> 4. 1 . 6. 2 Vulnerability Assessment <br /> Wildland fires can have the following potential impacts within a cc mmunity : <br /> Electric power outage ; <br /> Surface and air transportation disruption ; <br /> Telecommunications system outage ; <br /> `%W . Human health and safety; <br /> Psychological hardship ; <br /> 4-38 <br />