Update: As of 7:30 p.m., Fire rescue crews are still on the scene to secure and prevent further spread, according to a Facebook post from Gainesville Fire Rescue. The fire on North Main Street is mostly contained. The fire on North State Road 121 remains active. Residents are advised to avoid the areas, and GFR warns smoke conditions may impact visibility.
A wildfire on North Main Street in Gainesville prompted evacuations in the area and is spreading despite first response efforts. The fire, reported around 2 p.m. Sunday, now spans 60 acres and is 0% contained.
While the fire began on the west side of North Main Street just south of Northeast 53rd Street and north of Northeast 39th Avenue, it jumped to the east side, said Ludie Bond, the Florida Forest Service’s public information officer. The wind, along with extremely dry vegetation, are the primary causes of the fire spread, Bond said.
“That certainly is a concern,” she said. “It’s still a very active fire at this moment.”
Residents were asked to vacate the area after the fire’s spread grew concerns for the neighborhood, Bond said, but no structures have been damaged or destroyed. The Humane Society of North Central Florida, a Gainesville animal shelter, evacuated all animals to foster homes.
Containment lines — when fire rescue plows vegetation to expose bare dirt to create a barrier fires can’t burn through — were drawn, but Bond said they may not hold, because the torching trees in the area are causing embers to leap over them.
“That was a real challenge for us,” she said. “It’s still a challenge, because we’re still out there.”
Gainesville Fire Rescue, Alachua County Fire Rescue, the Florida Forest Service and local police departments, including the Gainesville Police Department, are on the scene, she said. A helicopter was used to drop water and allow eight dozers to surround the area and contain the fire, she said.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and Bond said there have been several in Alachua County today.
On North State Road 121, a 5-acre brush fire was reported around 5:30 p.m., and evacuation orders for residents of Eryn’s Garden were issued. A helicopter is now on the scene making water drops, per Watch Duty.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Maria Arruda at marruda@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @mariazalfarruda.
Maria Arruda is a second-year journalism and political science student, currently working as the City Commission reporter for The Alligator. Previously, she reported on Student Government under The Alligator's University desk. She enjoys running, reading and going to movie theaters!
