A fast moving, out-of-control wildfire that may have consumed more than two dozen homes in Eastpoint is 70 percent contained, according to officials on the scene.
But hotspots remain Sunday among the approximately 350 acres that were burned, and residents are not allowed to return home as firefighters continue their work, said Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith. As many as 200 residents have been displaced.
The fire broke out Sunday at about 4 p.m. near Buck Street, Ridge Road and the Twin Lakes area of Eastpoint. Fire departments from every neighboring county sent firefighters and resources to assist as the situation became more dangerous and officials declared a mandatory evacuation.
Firefighters used 13 bulldozers and eight fire engines to beat back the blaze, which by midnight had burned into Tate's Hell State Forest.
One volunteer firefighter, who spent hours fighting the flames, described the scene after the fire was largely contained as looking like a "war zone."
Hugh Hartsfield, a volunteer firefighter from Alligator Point, estimated that between 20 and 30 homes were total losses.
“It’s bad, it’s real bad,” he said, noting that he's never seen a fire that was so destructive. "There were so many houses on fire and so many total losses, you try to find one that had only partially caught on fire that you could save."
He said firefighters believe they have the wildfire largely controlled.
"I don't think it's spreading anymore," he said.
He said firefighters were continuing to go house to house further extinguishing smoldering hotspots.
At 10 p.m. Sunday, Gov. Rick Scott tweeted that he had spoken to Sheriff Smith and had offered up state resources.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this and the brave first responders battling the fire," he wrote.
'I thought we were gonna die'
Those caught in the fire's path described a desperate scene.
A resident of Ridge Road, Barbra Fox, 48, could see the fire approaching from across the street. Jeff Savage, her roommate, came in to warn her and her five dogs that they had to leave.
They tried to put it out with a garden hose, but the fire surrounded the house.
“The wind would blow and the embers would go through the air and catch anything on fire. I thought we were gonna die,” she said from the makeshift shelter at the Eastpoint fire station.
She said her house made it, but her neighbors' homes weren't so lucky. She said she saw four houses across the street that were gone.
Reports of damage confirmed
Word spread on social media that several houses were burned. But official word came slowly. At 11:30 p.m., Todd Schroeder with the Florida Forest Service confirmed homes were damaged but he could not estimate how many. He said the areas most effected were on Wilderness, Buck and Ridge Roads.
Witnesses shared photos and video of a surreal scene on Facebook and described heavy smoke across Highway U.S. 98 and ashes falling down on St. George Island.
A photo taken by airplane showed a massive pillar of smoke rising over Eastpoint.
One woman posted a dramatic video of the fire approaching her home and wrote "my house is bout to burn down."
►Do you have photos or video of the fire? Email whatfield@tallahassee.com
The locations of the Eastpoint, FL evacuations
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for:
- Ridge Road
- Bear Creek
- Wilderness Road
- CC Land
- Twin Lakes
- North Bay Shore
- Highway 65
"There is a woods fire in Eastpoint and residents are encouraged to leave the area for safety," the sheriff's office posted to its Facebook page.
Shelter locations
The community was opening a shelter at Eastpoint Church of God at 379 Ave A. Sharon Tyler with the Red Cross said the organization was sending its emergency response vehicle loaded with water and snacks to the shelter. She said 100 homes and more than 200 residents were affected by the evacuation order.
Shelter is also available for those affected by the fire at the Holiness Pentecostal Church in Eastpoint and Red Pirate, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
At 8:45 p.m. Sunday, word had gone out that the Humane Society animal shelter was being evacuated and animals were being removed from the shelter.
Cause unclear
It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze though many on Facebook noted that storms were blowing through as the fire began.
Word first went out about the fire late Sunday afternoon when the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office posted that it "has the road blocked on North Bayshore Drive as the Department of Forestry and local Franklin County fire crews work to contain a fire. About an hour ago, they were attempting to cut fire lines with tractors to eliminate further spreading of the dangerous fire."
But the evacuation order followed less than an hour later.