- February 5, 2026
The Florida Forest Service helicopter fighting the Old Dixie Highway brush fire. Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Fire Rescue
Flagler County's FireFlight helicopter fighting the Old Dixie Highway brush fire. Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Fire Rescue
A brush fire near Old Dixie Highway prompted the evacuation of some Flagler County residents. Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Fire Rescue
A brush fire that prompted evacuations for some residents along Old Dixie Highway in Flagler County last night is now around 80% contained.
Residents located in the square area between East Avenue, Bayberry Village Road, Deer Hunter Road and Old Dixie Highway were evacuated from their homes around 8 p.m. on Feb. 4, according to a Flagler County Emergency Management Facebook post. Residents were able to shelter at Fire Station 16 at 3935 Old Dixie Highway, near the Publix.
The evacuation order was lifted at around 11 p.m., said Rob Chase, the public information officer for the Jacksonville district of the Florida Forest Service.
Old Dixie Highway between Interstate 95 and Highway U.S. 1 was shut down during the evacuation. It is now reopened.
The brushfire is estimated to be 170 acres in size now and around 80% contained, Chase said, but crews are out there today doing mop up work: putting out hot spots, reforming the lines around the fire and walk the fire perimeter. In the meantime, there are still visibility concerns where fog has mixed with the remaining smoke.
"Just be mindful of the smoke that's out there. Be mindful that crews will be out there throughout the day performing mop up procedures. So you will see activity out there.
Chase said they first received a call about the fire at 1:13 p.m. on Feb. 4. They did not have an estimated initial size of the fire but, Chase said, the responding FFS crew immediately called to request a second dozer, which forms fire break lines between 8-12 feet wide.
By the end of the night, Chase said, FFS had seven dozers — five medium, two heavy — two engines, one drone unit, and one six wing unit. Chase said there were two helicopters one site as well, one FFS helicopter and FCFR's FireFlight.
The FFS worked on fire suppression while other first responder — the Flagler County Fire Rescue, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office — helped and worked to protect the surrounding structures.
As the cleanup work continues, Chase asked residents to avoid the area if possible.
"There's a lot of equipment out there working today, and they'll [the crew] be out there the rest of the day doing a lot of the dirty work," he said.
