Brush fire breaks out near Lehigh Acres homes

Reporter: Tiffany Rizzo Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
A brush fire broke out near a neighborhood in Lehigh Acres on Friday. (CREDIT: Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District)

Firefighters in Lehigh Acres successfully put out a brush fire that was threatening three nearby homes on Friday.

The brush fire was in the area of Kirkman Avenue and Ainsworth Street, near Jaguar Boulevard.

The area that burned was approximately 1 acre.

The fire was started by an overnight fire that was not put out right.

“We were all panicking trying to keep the kids back so they didn’t get burned. Just so we could put it out but we couldn’t stop it,” said Brett Reagan.

Reagan is friends with one of the people who started the fire on Thursday night.

When the winds picked up on Friday, the fire reignited.

“There’s a very low humidity today and high winds. And that just creates a perfect condition for an outdoor fire to get out of control quickly,” said Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Public Relations Officer Katie Heck.

The Department of Forestry cited the homeowner for an illegal burn.

“The biggest thing is loss of property or possibly life. You know, any type of small fire is not worth losing your house or your neighbor’s house, puts pets and other people in danger,” Heck said.

The flames did not damage anyone’s property but they did scare off their pet pig.

If you see flames or smoke, call 911 immediately so firefighters can get to the scene as quickly as possible.

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