A 400-acre (162-hectare) brushfire forced an evacuation and threatened or burned 15 North Florida homes on March 23, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Nassau County Emergency Management Director Billy Estop ordered the evacuation of a neighborhood near the Florida-Georgia border after a fire started by a man burning books got out of control on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters thought they had the fire contained at five acres, but gusting winds spread it beyond their control to an area half a mile wide by 2 miles long (900 m by 3.2 km).
Once the fire escaped control, residents were ordered to abandon their homes immediately.
“I’m fixin’ to lose, everything that we have, that we worked hard for,” said evacuee Beverly Thomas. “There are a lot of things that we won’t be able to replace. Pictures, furniture that were my grandmothers’ and just, my grandchildren pictures and things, just a lot of stuff.”
Officials report that the fire is now 50 percent contained.