As the smoke started to die down and roads began to reopen following a massive wildfire in Hernando County, residents in the Hernando Beach area tried to go about their daily routines.
- Many business along Shoal Line Boulevard re-opened Monday
- Residents woke Monday to ashes on, near their homes
- Fire officials say fire is 90 percent contained
A massive wildfire broke out in the Hernando Beach area Saturday night scorching about 1,100 acres. As of Monday afternoon, officials said it is 90 percent contained.
Monday morning, Nancy Emrich woke up to ashes covering her deck.
"We had never experienced that before. So it was quite exciting and also at the same time upsetting, scary because we could smell the smoke from our house which was less than a quarter of a mile from where the fire was,” Emrich said.
"It's interesting to live out here because not only do you think about hurricanes and water rising like we did in September last year but now we have experienced a brush fire,” she added.
Many businesses along Shoal Line Boulevard had to close on Sunday, re-opening their doors Monday.
"Well usually we're pretty busy on Sundays we do live music and we had to close down because you couldn't get down the roads," Arianna Bradley, waitress at Zig Zag Scallop, said. "I was just more worried about the structure being impacted. So I'm thankful that it didn't happen.”
Businesses Zig Zag Scallop that were forced to close Sunday due to the massive brushfire shutting down Shoal Line Boulevard re-opened their doors on Monday. (Kim Leoffler, staff)
Since the fire broke out residents said they've all been trying to come together. Many even bringing food and water supplies to the coast guard station where first responders were staging.
"We just try to work as a community. We're pretty close knit when it comes to surviving, getting through, and supporting each other,” Emrich said.