BREAKING: I-95 has been reopened

Palm Coast Observer
News

UPDATED AT 9:11 p.m.
Interstate 95 has been reopened, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

UPDATED at 8 p.m.
Crews have the Durrance Lane wildfire at 75% containment, according to Volusia County officials. Some evacuations are also being lifted at this time.

UPDATED at 7:06 p.m.
Interstate 95 remains closed from U.S. 1 to S.R. 40 due to a wildfire in Ormond Beach that has surpassed 1,000 acres.

The fire, which broke out around 10 a.m. Saturday, in Flagler County, shifted south in Volusia County into Saturday afternoon.

As of 6:30 p.m., the fire was at 0% containment, according to Greg Dunn, of the Florida Forest Service.
Flagler County's FireFlight continued to dump water from the air along with Volusia County’s Air One. Officials said the helicopters would be grounded around 8 p.m. because of visibility.

Approximately 300 homes were evacuated this afternoon in Ormond Beach. A shelter was being set up at the American Red Cross office, located at 341 White St., in Daytona Beach.

Despite rain last week, fire conditions in Flagler County continue to be a concern for officials. According to FlaglerEmergency.com, the fire danger is “moderate,” at 423.

The gusty winds are working against firefighters, Dunn said.

For more coverage, read the story on OrmondBeachObserver.com here.

UPDATED at 2:46 p.m.
Homes are being evacuated as of 2 p.m., and Interstate 95 is shut down because of a fire on the Volusia-Flagler line. People are running from their homes and into their vehicles, grabbing what they can. There are homes 200 yards from the flames. They're scurrying out of their driveways, putting their pets in carriers, loading up their families and evacuating.

The fire started at around 10 a.m. Saturday in Flagler County. Firefighters lost control of it, and it spread into Volusia. As of 11:30 a.m., it was estimated at 50 acres. Now, it’s over 200 acres.

Ormond Beach Fire Chief Bob Mandarino said, “Right now, the wind is our enemy.” He said the wind is unpredictable and blowing in all different directions.

There is one helicopter dropping water from Flagler County. Another has been called in from the Division of Forestry, but it’s going to take a while, because it’s coming from Pensacola. Mandarino said they are really hoping for more air support.

Flagler County has command right now, with help from Volusia County Sheriff's Office, Ormond Beach Polce, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Daytona Beach Police, Volusia Fire, Ormond Beach Fire.

They have blocked off Interstate 95, in both directions, from U.S. 1 to State Road 40 (Granda Boulevard), or mile marker 270-273. Mandarino said the hope is that the fire doesn’t jump I-95. If that happens, it will taken on a whole new space.

They aren’t asking for mass evacuations at this point.

Part of Tymber Creek may be shut down, as well, from about Granada north to U.S. 1.

The fire moved a quarter mile in two minutes, according to The Observer's Jared Mauldin and Matt Mencarini. The following are more observations from the scene:

We were on Durrance Lane, a quarter of a mile west of Tymber Creek, in Ormond Beach. We had to evacuate. The flames spread quickly, and all the news crews had to get in their cars and drive down the road. It's literally burning where we were standing. "You're going to have to get out of here," the fire department said to us. Now we're 100 yards south of Durrance.

The fire was coming east down Durrance. Now we're off Durrance onto a north-south side street. It's in the country, with no street signs, west of the airport. At one point, we were 50 feet from the flames. You could feel the heat.

The call came on the radio to evacuate residents just before 2 p.m. It's mostly farms in the immediate area. One home was evacuated with four or five horses.

There is a lot of smoke, and it burns the eyes. Lots of wind, which is probably aiding with the spreading of the fire. The flames were about 6 feet high, which might have been when it was climbing a tree. Otherwise, it's blanketing the ground.

The smoke was visible from the Ormond Beach Observer office at Wilmette Avenue and U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach.

Because of smoke, visibility is less than 200 yards in the vicinity of the fire.

More to follow.

ALSO: According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, there is a house fire at County Road 2007 West. The fire department and law enforcement are aware and are responding.

— Matt Mencarini, Jared Mauldin and Brian McMillan contributed to this report.