GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. — When Jim Linsler and his significant other heard that the major State road near their house was being closed due to the fire, they decided to take action.
“The fire got a little close tonight, and I just want to be safe then sorry because that’s all I got left, and I want to save it,” said Linsler.
Emergency Management officials and first responders said the fires in Clay County and Putnam County have now combined into one, spanning 3,000 acres.
“This is a long -term fight that we’re in,” said Clay County Fire Chief Lauren Mock. “Given these dry conditions, the heat and the fire within the ground can actually come up for days or weeks beyond this event.”
“My genuine concern about this drought and this fire season is it’s just getting started,” said Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Guthrie says he’s been in contact with Governor Ron DeSantis about these fires.
“The Florida National Guard has called up additional resources, and the Florida National Guard’s aviation unit will be involved in the firefight tomorrow,” said Guthrie.
Officials in Clay County say that right now, evacuations are voluntary. However, for Pamela Galdi, she spent her day packing in case she had to leave.
“You feel like you’re in a war zone with the sirens and the planes and everything flying,” said Galdi. “You just don’t know.”
Clay County Emergency Management says that they will begin accepting donations starting Tuesday morning at the Clay County fairgrounds in front of Exhibit Hall 2. That will be from 7 am-7pm. The types of donations they will be accepting are prepackaged food, bottled water, and prepackaged meals.
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