Local

3 woods fires in past 3 days in Jacksonville-area neighborhoods

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — "We are really hurting for water," neighbor Peter Bishop said.

Wednesday marked 20 days without rain, and the Florida Forest Service considers this year the most active fire season since 2011.

"It can spread from anywhere, it doesn't even have to be a lot of brush," neighbor Timothy Bartley said.

Six local counties have issued burn bans to prevent more fires: Baker, Nassau, Putnam, Bradford, Flagler and Union counties.

"When neighbors burn things, I get a little concerned there," Bishop said.

On Monday, Action News Jax was on scene of a fire near a North Jacksonville neighborhood. The fire started about 30 feet away from a home and burned around two acres.

And on Tuesday, a St. Johns County deputy said a fire spread while a neighbor was burning trash in a barrel. The most recent fire happened in an East Arlington neighborhood.

"Heard a lot of sirens and helicopters and saw the smoke coming over the trees," Bishop said.

Two bulldozers and at least five fire engines were on scene working to put out the flames. Timothy Bartley said the fire burned down his friend’s vacant home.

"He just told me that the house was burned totally down," Bartley said.

And at one point, Bartley said he was worried the fire would spread to his house.

"You have a thought, you know, because it was a little windy for it to come back there," Bartley said.

The Florida Forest Service is working to find out how the fire started.