- February 9, 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
Flagler County has instituted a week-long burn ban that went into effect on Feb. 6 and will remain in effect until Friday, Feb. 13.
The burn ban prohibits using any explosive compound, like fireworks or flares, open burning including campfires and fire pits, throwing burning materials like cigarettes from vehicles and parking vehicles with catalytic converters in high grassy areas, according to a Flagler County press release. Outdoor grills and similar equipment are allowed when continuously attended to by and adult.
The county is currently experiencing severe drought conditions, with a daily-increasing Keetch Byram Drought Index and no forecasted rainfall during the ban's duration.
“The conditions have become favorable for rapid fire growth, so this action will help reduce our community’s risk,” said Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker. “In addition to the ban on burning, remember that a good offense is the best defense. Clear the area around your house of anything that will go up in flames easily – including stacks of firewood, portable propane tanks, and dead, dry vegetation.”
The burn ban was instituted just days after a wildfire prompted evacuations for some residents along Old Dixie Highway in Flagler County on Feb. 4. That fire, which reached approximately 170 acres in size, is now 100% contained, according to a Feb. 9 email from Rob Chase, the public information officer for the Jacksonville district of the Florida Forest Service.
Residents located in the square area between East Avenue, Bayberry Village Road, Deer Hunter Road and Old Dixie Highway were evacuated from their homes at 8:12 p.m. on Feb. 4, according to an email from Flagler Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord. Residents were able to shelter at Fire Station 16 at 3935 Old Dixie Highway, near the Publix.
Tucker, in a phone interview with the Observer on Feb. 5, said no public or private property had been damaged, though the flames did come within 30 feet of the Baptist church on Old Dixie Highway.
"When we showed up here, some of the mulch in their planters was on fire," Tucker said.
Initially, 25 residences were evacuated between East Avenue, Bayberry Village Road and Old Dixie Highway and Deer Hunter Road, Lord wrote. That was reduced to properties immediately off South Old Dixie Highway between Carmelite Drive and East Avenue and Bayberry Village Road.
Tucker said it's the first time in his five years at the FCFR that residents have had to be evacuated because of a wildfire. Lord wrote the decision to evacuate was made as the fire grew and moved closer to nearby homes.
Once the fire was 50% contained, the evacuation order was lifted at 12:13 a.m., Lord wrote. Old Dixie Highway between Interstate 95 and Highway U.S. 1 was shut down during the evacuation but has since reopened.
In a Feb. 5 phone interview with the Observer, Chase said crews were already on the scene doing mop up work: putting out hot spots, reforming the lines around the fire and walk the fire perimeter.
That mop up work continues as of Feb. 9. In his e-mail, Chase wrote that smoke will be visible for several more days as crews work to burn out or down out pockets of unburned fuel within the fire lines. At 100% contained, the fire is not entirely out but is no longer moving or progressing.
Crews will continue to monitor the activity until the fire is 100% controlled, Chase wrote, meaning it is completely cold with no smoke or heat left.
Chase said in the phone interview 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.
The fire was 80 acres across at around 4 p.m. and by 11 p.m., because of the weather conditions, the fire doubled in size, Tucker said. Around 8 p.m., he said, the winds and the weather changed, causing the fire to break out of the fire lines and pushing the flames north, a different direction than it was previously going.
"Things got a little intense for about 45 minutes," he said.
When the weather shifts the directions of the flames, firefighters first look to see what is in its path, he said. In this case, he said, there were a lot of homes and businesses in its path.
"The benefits of having a resource like FireFlight is that when the fire does that, we can pivot a lot faster than moving ground crews," Tucker said.
The FCFR and FFS teams were able to get crews, tractors and dozers in front of the fire to create new fire lines and slow the fire down. Later in the evening, the increased humidity and rain later in the evening allowed firefighters and FFS to get the fire contained.
"We're in a good position right now," Tucker said.
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 on site as well, one FFS helicopter and FCFR's FireFlight. Tucker did not have a final count of how many crews or engines were involved on the county side at the time of this publication.
The FFS worked on fire suppression while other first responders — the FCFR, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office — helped to protect the surrounding structures and evacuate residents.
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.
The source of the fire is still under investigation.
This story was originally published on Feb. 5 and updated at 3:26 p.m. on Feb. 9.
