BUNNELL, Fla. — It was mid-afternoon when Flagler County resident Daniel Nickonovitz noticed the smell of smoke in the air and just a short time later when he saw the flames.
His was one of numerous homes that had to be evacuated Friday as a brush fire flared up near Cypress Street in the Daytona North area of Flagler County.
"It's just burned down logs and trees and just smoke, it's scary," Nickonovitz said.
At first he had trouble figuring out what was happening.
"I just assumed that one of my cigarettes had blown out of the ashtray," he said. "The house was full of smoke."
The fire was reported at about 2 p.m. in the area of Cypress and Lemon streets on a two-acre parcel of land.
It has since grown to cover about 40 acres, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Homes on Cypress Avenue and Lemon Street were evacuated due to the fire.
"They made sure my chickens were OK and running around and then they told me I gott leave the property," Nickonovitz said. "I was escorted off the property by two deputies."
The blaze was threatening homes in the area but so far, only a single trailer has been damaged, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Residents were being told on a case-by-case basis if they needed to evacuate and Flagler County administrator Craig Coffey urged people to be prepared in case they need to quickly leave.
"We are urging residents to take immediate precautions and prepare the things they might need to take with them if they are asked to leave their homes," Coffey said.
Nickonovitz was later allowed to return to his home, but said he would be keeping a close eye on the brush fire until it is completely out.
"With the wind still going on, that's my main concern, just the tress catching up," he said. "Embers flying ont he house and the property and everything, so I'm going to stay awake (and) make sure everything is safe."
BRUSH FIRE CYPRESS/BEECH/WALNUT IN DAYTONA NORTH AVOID AREA STREETS BEING SHUT DOWN CYPRESS AVE EVACUATED #fcsotraffic
— FCSO (@FlaglerSheriff) March 24, 2017
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