ORLANDO, Fla. – Dozens of homes were evacuated in a Daytona Beach neighborhood because of a brush fire crews are battling.
A brush fire broke out Monday in Daytona Beach off LPGA Boulevard near the Mosaic subdivision.
Eighty homes on Cyan Avenue in the community have been evacuated because of shifting winds and fire behavior. First responders are going door to door to evacuate homes.
[READ: Everything to know about burn bans, brush fires]
According to the Daytona Beach Fire Department, the fire had grown to 160 acres in size. Flagler County has deployed crews to perform aerial water drops.
Crews have started structural protection procedures as well.
Officials with the Daytona Beach Fire Department said the fire was contained earlier in the day, but it reached a heavily wooded swamp area, and when the winds shifted, it altered course.
The fire was about 50% contained at the time of this report.
Florida Forest Service has named this the Bennett Field fire.
Just before 9 p.m., the Daytona Beach Fire Department announced residents in the Mosaic neighborhood could return home.
Jack Dunaway and Connor McKinney, who live in the neighborhood, said they spent the day tracking the fire’s progress while waiting to learn whether their home would be impacted.
“We’ve been watching all day. I just watched that huge plume get closer and closer,” one resident said. “It’s been going all day.”
They said a neighbor went into their house to rescue their cat while they were away.
“You really start considering what’s valuable, what needs to be kept, what’s irreplaceable,” another resident said.
Driscoll said crews from Daytona Beach, Volusia County and the Florida Forest Service worked throughout the day to protect homes. The Forest Service plowed fire lines behind houses, and multiple engines were positioned for structural protection.
Driscoll said recent drought conditions, combined with dry air and high winds Monday, helped the fire spread quickly.
“The wildfire season is upon us,” he said.
Officials said firefighters will continue working through the night to strengthen containment lines and monitor for flare-ups.
No structural damage or injuries had been reported as of late Monday night.
It’s not the only brush fire burning in Central Florida.
A brush fire scorched 8 acres Monday morning in Orlando, and fire officials said it’s nearly contained.
The fire broke out near MetroWest in the area of Arnold Palmer Drive and Kirkman Road.
Orlando fire officials said as of 12:45 p.m., the fire was 90% contained.
“Crews will be on scene monitoring conditions for the next five hours or so,” the Orlando Fire Department said in a statement to News 6.
No damages or injuries were reported.
News 6 meteorologist David Nazario said chances are good that drought conditions will get worse in the next few days due to another cold front.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index map below gives you a sense of where conditions are roughest at the moment.
Some Central Florida counties have either issued burn bans or are not allowing any burn authorizations.
Fire officials are urging everyone to be extremely careful and avoid the ning anything outside. Because of the dry brush, fires can start easily and spread very fast.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.