Firefighters in Collier County were fighting a brush fire as it approached nearby homes Friday afternoon. The high temperatures, low humidity and high winds made the fire grow quickly.
The Naples Fire Chief said that the fire is moving quickly and as of 3:40 p.m., he has reported three homes with damage.
Sapp said that there are no injuries or deaths at this time, and all residents have been evacuated.
The fire started near Immokalee Road and quickly spread across 100 acres. The sheriff’s office said it was still spreading and was 25% contained by 5:30 pm.
The Sheriff’s Office said that the streets that have been evacuated are Jung Boulevard, 16th Avenue Northwest, 18th Avenue Northwest, 20th Avenue Northwest, 22nd Avenue Northwest and 24th Avenue Northwest.
The Immokalee Road and Wilson Boulevard are both closed from Woodcrest Drive to Randall Boulevard. 24th Avenue Northeast and 47th Avenue Northeast are also closed.
The National Weather Service is reporting that the wind is blowing at 16 mph and the temperature is around 87 degrees.
Neighbors and passersby gathered together to help pull the victim away from the scene.
Some people got out of their cars and walked around. Some people took out their phones.
Several neighbors asked the authorities if they could take care of an animal that was left alone.
Vanessa Koolhof is a 65-year-old retired journalist from ABC-7. She told the Daily News that she’s seen brush fires before, but she’s concerned this one might be more dangerous than the others.
She’s lived on Jung Boulevard for a for three years.
Jeffrey Mera, 31, was driving home from work when he noticed a big plume of smoke in the air. He thought it was just a small fire, but when he got home, the road was blocked off and one of the backyards was on fire.
Mera said he overheard another bystander say the fire was the worst they had ever seen. Mera said the fire probably won’t be fully extinguished for a while because it is the worst fire he has ever seen.
In May 2021, a brush fire burned through parts of Golden Gate Estates, destroying at least two homes and damaging three.
Collier County institutes burn ban
The Board of County Commissioners has decided to ban all fires in Collier County, starting on Saturday.
The ban prohibits burning things like trash and yard waste outdoors. This includes anything that’s created when people garden or take care of their yards.
The decision to ban burning came after consultation between the emergency services agencies in Collier County, Florida, and the National Weather Service. The group agreed that they needed to put in place a burning ban because conditions were unusually dry and are expected to continue this way through the end of March.
The ban applies to all of unincorporated Collier County.
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