Firefighters battle wildfire off State Road 26 in Alachua County

Firefighters are battling a 200-acre fire that started Wednesday afternoon east of the Gainesville Regional Airport on State Road 26..

Courtesy of Florida Forest Service

Key Points

Firefighters are battling a 200-acre fire that started Wednesday afternoon east of the Gainesville Regional Airport on State Road 26.

According to a Florida Forest Service – Waccassa Forestry Center release, the blaze has grown since mid-afternoon to 200 acres, as of 6 p.m. It is located in the Balu Forest on the north side of SR 26.

State Road 26 wildfire. Courtesy of Florida Forest Service — Courtesy of Florida Forest Service State Road 26 wildfire.

Traffic is closed from County Road 234 in Windsor to US Highway 301 in Orange Heights as crews from the Florida Forest Service, Alachua County Fire Rescue and Windsor Fire Department are involved with the fire, which currently has 0% containment.

Two type-1 U.S. Forest Service helicopters are en route to the fire.

Share this post:

X (Twitter) Facebook Email

Staff Reports

View all posts

Suggested Articles

Firefighters battle 20-acre brush fire in Northeast Alachua County
Staff Reports 0
- Firefighters from multiple departments contained a 20-acre brush fire in Northeast Alachua County on Monday afternoon without injuries or property loss.
- Alachua County is under a burn ban amid a drought with Floridan aquifer levels at their lowest since 2011, prompting safety reminders from officials.
Firefighters contain 2-acre brush fire behind Celebration Pointe
Staff Reports 1
Newberry man, 40, dies when motorcycle crashes into SUV
Staff Reports 0
- A 40-year-old Newberry man died at 8:30 p.m. Monday after his motorcycle hit the rear right side of an SUV on State Road 26 in Newberry.
- A pickup truck driven by a 28-year-old man from Horseshoe Beach was involved in the crash following the motorcycle's collision with the SUV.
Hawthorne authorizes emergency wastewater repair, new veterans memorial
Lillian Hamman 0
- Hawthorne City Commission approved a $30,000 emergency repair for the wastewater plant after a foreign object caused a shutdown.
- The commission declared repairs an emergency to bypass the new purchasing policy's Request for Proposal process.
- City officials favor an outdoor veterans memorial with flags at the new community resource center under construction.
- The commission is reviewing designs for a multipurpose center and will seek community input before deciding on final plans.