Update: As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, fire containment remains the same, according to an Alachua County Instagram post. The fire by North Main Street remains 25% contained and spans just over 100 acres, and the fire on State Road 121 is 60% contained and spans 25. Impacts from smoke have already been seen as far as Levy and Marion Counties, according to the post.
North Main Street between 39th Avenue and 53rd Avenue remains closed, according to the city of Gainesville’s emergency management page.
Alachua County Public Schools cancelled all outdoor activities during the school day, as of a Tuesday morning Facebook post. The district will announce the status of after-school outdoor activities later in the day.
A local state of emergency went into effect 1 p.m. Monday. Residents are advised to follow the situation through the Alachua County, Florida Forest Service and city of Gainesville Facebook pages.
Update: As of 10 a.m. Monday, the fire near North Main Street is 25% contained and spans 106 acres, while the fire on State Road 121 is 60% contained and still spans 25 acres, according to a city of Gainesville Facebook post. No homes are currently in danger, according to the post, but smoke is expected to be present throughout the day. Residents are advised to drive cautiously because smoke may limit visibility.
There is no immediate threat to UF campus, but university officials are continuing to monitor due to the smoky conditions, interim provost Joe Glover wrote in a Monday morning email.
Employees may use available vacation or sick leave if they were evacuated or may be affected by smoky conditions, related respiratory issues or hazardous driving, wrote Melissa Curry, the UF vice president of human resources, in an email to vice presidents and deans Sunday night.
Alachua County Public Schools has cancelled all outdoor activities during the school day on Monday, according to a Sunday night Facebook post. The district hasn’t yet announced the status of extracurricular outdoor activities.
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.
Bailey Diem contributed to this report.
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!
