FLORIDA LOOKOUTS
NAPLES (radio road)
Collier County
T49S-R25E-
T49S-R25E-
April 7, 1964: "Ground breaking ceremonies were held yesterday for the Florida Forest Service headquarters at the site on Radio Road next to Swamp Buggy grounds. An office building, a shop, two or three houses, and a tower will eventually go up at the headquarters site." (The Daily News)
November 5, 1964: "County Ranger, Alan E. King reports that the fire control headquarters at Naples is rapidly nearing completion and that the fire tower and office will be in service within the next few days. The dispatcher's house will be ready in another week, King reports, and work on the county ranger's house and shop are coming along well. Concrete slabs have already been poured for the third house." (The Daily News)
March 8, 1973: "3:30 p.m. Tuesday - Woods fire in front of the Florida Forestry Department's Radio Road fire tower burned over 1 1/2 acres of grass." (Naples Daily News)
October 4, 1973: "A group of neighborhood children fought a two-acre woods fire in East Naples Wednesday afternoon, according to Jack Smith of the Florida Division of Forestry Naples Fire Tower.
The children, returning home from school around 3 p.m., spotted smoke coming from a wooded area off Southwest Boulevard in Trail Acres. Two boys went to investigate. Finding a raging woods fire, they ran back to their homes for shovels and help.
About 11 other neighborhood youngsters joined the boys in the fire fight, beating out flames with limbs taken from green trees." (Naples Daily News)
November 14, 1973: "Florida Forestry Division forest rangers have been keeping a check on a 175-acre fire burning in East Collier County.
Jack Smith of the Naples Fire Tower reported today that the blaze was in an inaccessible area some six miles north of U.S. 41 in a 'Golden Gate area.'
Smith said the ground there was so swampy that forestry officials have been unable to get tractors to the area to cut fire breaks.
Forest rangers are keeping a periodic check on the fire which, because of high westerly winds, has driven smoke toward the Naples area since late Tuesday afternoon." (Naples Daily News)