Woman forced to evacuate as Collier ‘Greenway’ fire burns within yards of her home

“We were told the house is going to blow. I went home all upset because I thought we lost everything,” said Collier County resident Cathy Myers.

For Myers, seeing fire crews racing toward her home in Collier County has been a nightmare for the past 24 hours.

“I still don’t know if my house is there,” Myers said.

Just after 5 a.m. Sunday, Myers says the ‘Greenway’ fire came within yards of her property. That’s when she sprang into action to bring her granddaughter to safety and come back to retrieve her belongings.

“I figured we could go back, get a friend of mine to help us get the four wheeler out, get the gas cans out, get my pictures and whatever else I could throw in the vehicles,” she said.

But by the time they came back—it was too late. Officials shut down the roads to keep people safe from the flames.

“All my husband’s pictures, I would have no pictures of him or anything like that to show the grand kids,” Myers said.

Now, as smoke fills the air, the only thing Myers can do it wait until she gets the all-clear from officials to see if her house if still intact.

At last check, 52nd Avenue SE to Sabal Palm Road remains closed along with Everglades Boulevard just before the Picayune Strand Forest.

The ‘Greenway’ fire is at 6,500 acres with 15 percent containment as of 6 p.m. Sunday.