Residents living in 15 homes on the west side of SE 57th Court fell under a voluntary evacuation Sunday afternoon as heat and humidity caused an active wildfire to creep too close to their homes.
Though winds were gusting at 15 to 18 mph, pushing the fire toward the residential structures, no homes were damaged and no residents were injured, explained Ludie Bond, wildfire mitigation specialist with the Division of Forestry.
According to Bond, the wildfire, known as “Tyler Grade II” after a similar fire that erupted in the same area on May 1, 2008, had burned 255 acres as of Tuesday morning and was reportedly 90 percent contained. Crews are still on the scene.
The wildfire started on Saturday around 5 p.m.
Though the cause has been labeled as yet unknown, Bond indicated that a person likely started the fire.
“After the fire started, it blew up pretty good,” Bond said.
“Firefighters have been at it around the clock, working 12-hour shifts at a time.”
The fire reportedly burned heavily through the night on Saturday, but wasn’t moving as quickly as it had during the late afternoon hours, which provided firefighters time to establish solid fire lines. Despite their efforts, Bond said the fire did break containment lines several times on the northeast side.
Gusty winds on Sunday afternoon pushed the fire southwest, prompting the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office to issue a voluntary evacuation. As deputies went door to door asking residents to prepare their homes for fire and consider leaving the area, fire crews worked on establishing good containment lines.
According to Bond, 12 of the 15 homeowners heeded the fire warning and left their residences, while other homeowners along the perimeter wet the exterior of their homes down with water hoses and chose to stay amid the thick smoke and heavy ash.
Fire crews on scene included the Division of Forestry, Alachua County Fire Rescue, who focused on structure protection, Newberry Fire Department, Jonesville Fire Station, Gilchrist County Fire Rescue from stations 1, 2, 3, 4, and 22, Chiefland Fire Department, and volunteer departments from Old Town and Suwannee.
“We had a great deal of resources on hand,” Bond said. “And I feel confident about the fire’s containment now.”
The wildfire mitigation specialist pointed out that there have been twice as many wildfires this year as there were at the same time last year within the Waccassasa district.
In early May 2008, the district had 107 wildfires, whereas this year 230 wildfires have already burned within the district.
In 2009, the Division of Forestry indicates that 1,856 wildfires have already burned, compared to 1,028 fires this time last year.
According to Bond, contributing factors include the increased number of hard freezes the state underwent from November to February.
“It’s typically dry and typically windy, but there are heavier fuel loads this year, which are easily ignitable,” Bond said. “We saw fire behavior in March that we don’t usually see until May.”
The Division of Forestry is asking residents to not burn, unless it is absolutely necessary, and to be cautious when conducting outdoor activities as fire can be started from something as simple as a spark from a lawn mower.
To report a wildfire, call the Division of Forestry at 1-800-342-5869.