Marion County firefighters teamed with their colleagues from the Florida Forest Service on Friday to quickly gain control of an 80-acre brush fire that forced evacuations and threatened homes in the Highlands area.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies evacuated 25 homes in the area near S.W. 155th Street and S.W. 80th Avenue that were in the path of the fast-moving blaze. Florida Fire Service personnel worked to plow lines around the flames while crews from Marion County Fire Rescue protected the threatened homes and property, a report states.
The fire damaged a detached garage, several outbuildings, a recreational vehicle and a few other vehicles. Two Marion County sheriff’s helicopters and a Florida Forest Service helicopter dropped 30 buckets of water on the fire. All told, more than 6,300 gallons of water were used to douse the flames, the report states.
All roadblocks were removed Friday night and residents were allowed to return to their homes around 8 p.m. The American Red Cross responded to the area to assist the displaced families, according to the report.
