Several wildfires remained active across parts of North Central and Northeast Florida on Friday afternoon. This included Clay, Levy and Putnam counties.
In Clay and Putnam counties, the Railroad Fire hit 4,413 acres and was 70% contained as of Friday afternoon.
The fire formed when the Crews Road Fire in Clay County and the Railroad Complex Fire in Putnam County merged, according to the Florida Forest Service.
According to the Florida Forest Service, crews will continue to establish containment lines and look for interior hot pockets. Fire engines also continue to assist in the efforts, conducting containment line patrols and searching for spot overs and any smoke that is visible.
The fire is also being attacked via air with water drops. The Florida Forest Service said every drop is 1,600 gallons of water.
According to the Florida Forest Service, “smoke will continue to be a concern as interior pockets of fuel get consumed.”
In Levy County, the Cow Creek Fire grew to 2,000 acres with 40% containment as of Friday afternoon.
In a press release, the county said Florida Forest Service crews continue to work to put out the fire, but that it could take “a number of days.”
Evacuation orders have been lifted in the county, and both the comfort center and citizen information lines have closed. Some roads have reopened for traffic. This includes County Road 343 and CR 337.
CR 326, meanwhile, is closed to traffic from CR 337 to CR 343, according to the county.
Henry Beck Park in Morriston also remains closed until further notice.
The last update on the Florida Forest Service wildfire dashboard regarding several fires in Alachua County, including the N. Main Street fire number two and the State Road 26 fire, was on Thursday. At that time, the N. Main Street fire number two was at 106 acres and 75% containment, while the SR 26 fire was at 302 acres and 70% containment.
On Thursday, the city of Gainesville issued a Temporary No Entry Zone established for the North Main Street wildfire.
The release stated, “As wildfire suppression efforts continue in the North Main Street area, the City of Gainesville is instructing individuals in nearby woods to move to safer locations. This establishment of a No Entry Zone is a critical public safety measure to protect people from falling debris, uneven ground conditions and isolated hot spots. The new restriction also preserves evidence as the Florida Division of Agriculture and Consumer Services begins the fire investigation process.”
On Friday, several agencies, including Gainesville Fire Rescue and the Gainesville Police Department, responded to a small fire that started east of the N. Main Street fire number two.
The Florida Forest Service said at one point, the fire was at 1.5 acres and 40% containment. Based on the latest update, the Florida Forest Service said firefighters had moved into the “mop up stage” since the fire containment line had been “well established.”
The Florida Forest Service added that the first responders “will focus on identifying and extinguishing hot spots.”
Also, on Friday, Alachua County announced that it had extended its countywide burn ban. The ban will remain in effect until Friday, May 1. The county is still under a state of emergency due to multiple active wildfires.
“Dry soils, stressed vegetation and elevated fire danger have created hazardous conditions countywide,” Alachua County said in a Facebook post on Friday. “While some rain is forecast for Sunday, April 26, it is unlikely to be widespread and not expected to have a significant effect on the fire danger. As a result, the countywide burn ban remains in effect and residents are urged to exercise extreme caution and report any active fire immediately.”
The burn ban prohibits all unauthorized open burning. According to the county, this includes:
- Campfires and bonfires
- Unpermitted controlled burns
- Burning yard or household trash
- Burning construction or organic debris
- Igniting fireworks
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.