Wildfire season is still a few months away for Western states, but, in a sign of what may be to come, a wildfire is already wreaking havoc on National Park Service (NPS) land in Florida.
On Feb. 22, a fire began in a part of Big Cypress National Preserve that’s about 20 miles from Naples, Fla. The fire has spread rapidly, and efforts to contain it have proved unsuccessful. The preserve is a major tourism driver and home to many rare species.
The Fire
According to press releases from the NPS, the National Fire began on Feb. 22. It grew quickly, increasing from a size of 5,000 acres on Feb. 23 to its current size of 25,000 acres on Feb. 26. As of the time of publication, the fire still stands at 0% contained.
Ground firefighting crews continue their “defensive firing operations along the southern portion of the fire to help establish a perimeter,” the NPS said. Efforts include removing unburned fuel that could help feed the fire.
The fire currently threatens 100 homes and has already caused damage estimated at $200,000, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.
The Cause
A map from the U.S. Forest Service lists the fire as “human caused,” but there are no more details available at this time.
A dry winter may have created a perfect storm of a scenario to fuel the fire. “Persistent drought conditions and recent frost damage has created an unusually heavy and highly receptive fuel bed. Dry vegetation combined with accumulated frost-killed fuels is contributing to active fire behavior across the preserve,” the NPS explained.
Management
On Feb. 26, the NPS announced that management of the fire had been transferred from local authorities to the Southern Area Gray Team, an interagency incident management team.
The National Fire is one of the first major wildfires since the Department of the Interior (DOI) established the U.S. Wildland Fire Service in January 2026. GJ reached out to the DOI for comment, but did not receive a response.
The Effects
Big Cypress National Preserve, the country’s first national preserve, was created in 1970. It stands at a size of about 729,000 acres, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island.
The area also houses an immigration detention center, the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz,” which is located less than 50 miles away from the fire.
Tourism
NPS staff have closed several areas of the park in response to the fire, including Bear Island Campground, Pink Jeep Campground, and Gator Head Campground.
Big Cypress attracted over 2.2 million visitors in 2024, with peak visitation occurring from January through April. Studies have shown that visitor spending has contributed over $81 million to the local economy in past years. If the fire continues to spread and remain uncontained, it may affect visitor numbers during this peak season time.
Wildlife
The preserve is also the largest contiguous habitat area for the Florida panther, an endangered species. The NPS estimates that fewer than 100 of these big cats live in the wild in South Florida, with around 200 in the total estimated population.
The National Fire currently stands near I-75, the same area that is a major habitat area for the animal. The Florida panther plays a key role in maintaining the health of the local ecosystem because it manages prey populations, including deer, feral hogs, and raccoons.
Other federally endangered and threatened plant and animal species in the preserve include: the red-cockaded woodpecker, Cape Sable seaside sparrow, Everglade snail kite, West Indian manatee, American crocodile, eastern indigo snake, and ghost orchid.
Like Everglades National Park, Big Cypress’s large freshwater wetlands are a rare ecosystem that is the only kind of habitat that can support these plants and animals. It is unclear how the ongoing fires may affect these rare species.
