INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Firefighters contained a nearly 25-acre brush fire in a wooded area off Oslo Road and 27th Avenue Southwest that led to a precautionary evacuation of residents from a nearby community July 27.
Several local and state agencies worked together to battle “multiple fires” reported between 5th Street Southwest and Oslo Road and 20th and 27th avenues southwest, according to fire rescue and emergency officials who reported the blazes just before 4 p.m. on social media.
Shortly after 5 p.m. fire officials announced the brush fire was “fully contained,” and later determined it covered about 23 acres.
The multi-agency response involved Indian River Fire Rescue, St. Lucie County Fire District and Florida Forest Service and Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire led to the brief closure of 27th Ave Southwest between 5th Street Southwest and Oslo Road, which re-opened just after 5 p.m., according to the Indian River County Emergency Services Department.
The county department said in a social media post that any displaced residents could get water and snacks from the American Red Cross, which was set up in the parking lot of a former Winn-Dixie grocery store west of the 27th Avenue Southwest and Oslo Road intersection.
“The Bradford Place community was evacuated just as a precaution,” said Assistant Fire Chief Steve Greer.
The evacuation order was given around 3 p.m. and residents and Greer said around 6:30 p.m. residents would soon be notified they could return home.
Indian River County Emergency Services in social media posts said residents should monitor the agency’s social media posts for notification that they can return to their homes.
Greer said he was unsure how close the blaze got to residences.
Greer said he did not have information about a potential cause at this point, but said with heat and dry conditions, “spontaneous combustion” was a possibility. He also said there was a homeless camp in that area, but he was unsure if the camp or its occupants had any connection to the fires.
Firefighters will likely revisit the site throughout July 28, during a “mop up” phase of the response to ensure no hot spots reignited, he said.
The state fire marshal’s office will investigate the fire, Greer said.
(This story was updated with a video.)
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Near 25-acre wildfire contained in southern IRC; some residents evacuated as precaution
Reporting by Corey Arwood, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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