CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE: 12:12 P.M. The Crews Road fire in Clay County has grown to 2,000 acres and is currently 5% contained. Officials remain on scene as a red flag warning stays in effect. Residents are being asked to avoid flying personal drones within restricted airspace.
For emergency updates, residents can sign up for alerts through AlertClay or download the SaferWatch app for traffic updates and local emergency response information.
END OF UPDATE.
Multiple fires are actively burning across Northeast Florida, impacting Clay, Nassau, and Putnam counties.
In Clay County, officials say sparks from a passing train are believed to have started a fire near County Road 209 and U.S. 17. That fire has now grown to 1,700 acres and remains 0% contained, with crews working to slow its spread. Voluntary evacuations have been issued.
The fire has also spread south into Putnam County, where it has reached about 1,000 acres and is 5% contained. Authorities say the exact cause is still under investigation.
Action News Jax meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh says breezy and cooler conditions are expected today, with northeast winds ranging from 10 to 20 mph and gusts reaching up to 30 mph this morning.
Rob Chase with Florida Forest Service says the winds will make it harder to fight the fires.
“The winds are going to be the big concern today for us. We are going to fight this fire the same way we do all our fires but the wind is what we really are going to be focusing on today.”
Chase is also urging residents to remain cautious amid ongoing dry conditions.
“We are in a very volatile times right now with the conditions of the drought. We are just asking our citizens and residents to just pay attention to your local county burn bans and avoid any outdoor burning if possible. These conditions are very right for a wildfire as we see.”
In Nassau County, a separate fire has burned about 500 acres and is currently 75% contained.
Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
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