ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — There have been at least four wildfires in the last two weeks across the First Coast.
A fire burned through 1600 acres in Nassau County on April 20, 2023. Days later, a 40-acre wildfire engulfed trees in Putnam County. Then in Duval County, firefighters responded to a one-acre brushfire.
The ongoing trend has left left many homeowners wondering how can they protect their homes.
The Loprienos were just starting their nightly walk Monday in the St. Johns County neighborhood when they saw the smoke.
“It was quite close to a few of the houses in the woods. It was spreading going up a tree, it was intense. Once the winds picked up, it was a concern with some of the neighbors we were talking to," said homeowners, Donna and Mike Loprieno.
The Florida Forest Service confirms that the flames burned through five acres.
It was contained within hours of starting and the cause is still under investigation, but some homeowners are left worried.
“With the winds that our forecast pick up, who knows if there are any embers out there or what might resurge and hopefully our concern is, was it intentionally set," Loprieno said.
Florida Forest Service officials say wildfires between March and July, have become more frequent.
“That’s when it starts to dry out a little bit. Where we were seeing a lot of rain activity, there was a period in January we didn’t have any rainfall in the month of January," said Julie Allen, a wildfire mitigation specialist with Florida Forest Service.
Plow units are what stops fires from spreading, but Allen says many of the fires are caused by homeowners burning yard debris.
“What we are encouraging people to do is number one, don’t burn on windy days if you can hold off. Number two, never leave your pile unattended, because it just takes one spark to come off of that fire to create a wildfire," Allen said.
Experts say a good way to protect your property is to ensure that you have at least 30-50 feet of open space between your home and any tree lines. This will give fire personnel the space they need to battle any flames and could prevent fire from spreading to your home.