A brush fire in Alachua County forced road closures in Hawthorne on Monday afternoon after the fire grew from 2 acres to more than 100 acres, officials said.
By 4:15 p.m., County Road 325 was shut down from County Road 346 to Southeast 152nd Lane as crews worked the fire. Alachua County Emergency Management said there were no evacuations at that time.
The Florida Forest Service said Alachua County Fire Rescue sent a reverse 911 notification to residents within a 3-mile radius of the fire. Multiple forestry units were responding, and two Florida National Guard helicopters were ordered as the blaze spread through the area.
The fire’s rapid growth from a small brush fire to a more than 100-acre incident put the focus on containment rather than evacuation. With the road closure in place and air support on the way, the next question is whether crews can slow the spread before the fire forces a wider response.
