Brush fire temporarily forces evacuations from homes in South Gulf Cove community

A brush fire prompted the evacuations of some homes in the South Gulf Cove community in Charlotte County Thursday afternoon.

The fire, in the area of Sand Domingo Boulevard, Calumet Boulevard, and Hebron Road was fast-moving, according to a county spokesman.

The sheriff’s office evacuated homes as needed based on the movement and weather conditions. The sheriff’s office says eight homes were evacuated.

One of the families who was forced to evacuate owns a nearby restaurant. They opened their doors to anyone in this community who also had to flee.

Smoke from the fire was so thick, people in the neighborhood could barely see. “It was actually really scary because it was billowing. I mean, it was black smoke,” said Tish Shifflett, who lives near the fire.

Some families were forced to evacuate with the flames close to their homes. Michelle Cakir rushed home to ensure her son was out of their house. “We got, I mean, one block back, and it was completely black, and there were particles flying in the air, and you couldn’t see anything,” said Cakir.

Michelle and her husband Baruk own a restaurant nearby, the Ephesus Mediterranean Grill, and with everything unfolding rapidly, they decided to help.

“Everybody was talking about being evacuated, and we were one of them. So, we just thought that instead of opening the restaurant, let’s just close it and open it only for people who got evacuated,” said Burak Cakir.

Other neighbors also jumped into action. “He (neighbor) goes, ‘I’m on the roof already with a water hose, watering down my roof.’ And we just left the cart at Home Depot and ran out of the store,” said Scott Pochowski.

Pochowski grabbed his hose and rushed to neighbors’ homes while also encouraging them to get a bag ready in case they had to leave. “I wasn’t six feet away and the heat intensity was so incredible. I just… Again, anybody that’s paid to run into a fire and fights this stuff has got my respect on a whole other level,” said Pochowski.

Fire officials said the wind was a major factor in this fire growing to 42 acres. They said the wind blew embers from the fire into other blocks, which caused the fire to spread quickly. Although a shed and some fences were destroyed, no homes were burned down by the fire. Helicopters were deployed to assist by dropping water on the fire. Fire officials say the fire is 100% contained.

Charlotte County Commissioners have scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss implementing a burn ban. That meeting will be held on Tuesday.