JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Fire and Rescue was on the scene of a nearly 10-acre brush fire on the city’s Westside on Tuesday afternoon.
The scene was near the intersection of Falkland Road East & Lothmore Road.
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Around 4 p.m., crews said the 9.8-acre fire was “under control” after an aggressive suppression effort kept it away from nearby homes.
JFRD added that some fencing and yard materials were among the items to experience minimal damage.
Earlier in the day, a SnapJAX user posted a video showing a plume of smoke rising from the fire.
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News4JAX spoke with a few neighbors.
Nancy and Bob Touchton, who had lived in the neighborhood for about 13 years, said they immediately jumped into action to help after noticing the fire.
“You could see the flames from across the street,” Nancy Touchton said.
The Touchtons said they were worried about the fire potentially getting to homes since the only thing that separated the fire from the homes was a fence.
“We were afraid it would jump the fence,” Bob Touchton said. “We were using our garden hoses to hold it off until the professionals could get a hold of it.”
John Elkins returned home from work and noticed the smoke the in area, prompting him to immediately call JFRD.
“I think this could become a problem,” Elkins said he told JFRD during the phone call.
He went inside his home to change clothes and minutes later, his grass in the backyard caught fire.
“I soaked everything down that I could in my yard and my other neighbor’s yard,” he said. “Fire department got here pretty quick. I understand a little bit of what people out in the West Coast go through with wildfires and how fast they spread.”