BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Brevard fire crews are keeping a close eye on a smoldering brush fire sparked by a burning van that closed lanes of Interstate 95, threatened homes and forced the evacuation of a day care Wednesday.
The 50-acre fire in Palm Bay is 100 percent contained, but wind is playing a key role in the fire fight according to officials.
Residents in the area were concerned because the fire was very close to a few dozen homes along several roads that extend off of Valkaria Road and Babcock Road.
Firefighters remained on scene throughout the night to put out any flareups. Residents were asked to call 911 if they spot any flames.
Fire crews wet the underbrush of plants just feet from several homes.
Kyle Walters was using a garden hose to help keep the fire from his Garvin Lake Drive home.
"I couldn't believe it. I was inside working on my computer and my neighbor sent me a text saying 'fire.'" I ran outside and here it came," said Walters.
Resident Ken Hanson is happy to have a house to come home to. Hanson only had one worry when the fire was blazing.
"I said I have to get the horses, I don't care about nothing else," Hanson said.
Hanson's five horses are OK but his back yard was damaged.
"It was deadly the flames were 50 feet high right there," Hanson said. "I couldn't believe it. We couldn't see anything, this was so, we couldn't see when we pulled up."
Neighbors had already started moving his horses to another property.
The real scare came when Hanson saw how close the fire was to his home – 20 to 30 feet.
With a small hose, Hanson tried to fight off some flames before fire crews were able to get a handle on it.