1,200-Acre Brush Fire Keeps Residents On Edge
Posted: 6:59 am EDT April 24, 2009Updated: 1:47 pm EDT April 24, 2009
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A change in the weather could lead to evacuations near a 1,200-acre wildfire in East Orange County. Uneasy residents spent a tense night monitoring the massive wildfire.The flames burning near Christmas have already scorched nearly 1,200 acres and crews are poised to begin another long day of trying to completely contain the flames once and for all.Officials will hold a town meeting at 12:00pm and 6:00pm at the Bithlo Community Center at 18501 Washington Avenue (see map) Friday.They'll give out info on how they've contained the fire so far, which fire they're concentrating on and why.At the meeting evacuation plans will be discussed as well as shelter information if needed. Officials say that presently, no evacuations have been issued.Preparation information and what to do with pets and horses will be given because pets cannot be brought to the shelter.Flare up after flare up, the Christmas brushfire just will not give up.What started as a minor emergency near Bithlo last Saturday has grown into a fire that has as charred more than 1,100 acres of forest and turned it into ash.People and animals are at risk. Horses at the 123-acre Kendon Horse Park were evacuated as a precaution. Their owners also dug a fire break around their home.The fire has resident Corey Eskew feeling uneasy. "You never know what could happen, everything's so dry right now that everyone could be burst up in flames right now. It's pretty scary to be honest with you," said Eskew.Ann Steed says her grandson and his father only need about twenty minutes if the sheriff's office gave an order to evacuate. "He's got all his important papers in a big box, grab the kids and important things, and go," said Steed.It is a drill residents of Christmas have been prepared for all night.Firefighters and Division of Forestry officials will continue to monitor the brush fire and watch for flare ups. At this point, they are saying that the fire is approximately 80 percent contained.
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