Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service spent hours Friday evening fighting a brush fire that threatened homes near Bob Smith Avenue in Plant City.

  • Fire about 90 percent contained as of 9 p.m.
  • First started at around 5 p.m. near Dormany Road
  • Forest Service will check area Saturday morning for hot spots

Officials said the fire started around 5 p.m. in the vicinity of Bob Smith Avenue and Dormany Road. It took several hours for crews on the ground and in the air to get the flames under control.

 

As of 9 p.m., the Forest Service said the fire was about 90 percent contained.

At times the fire came dangerously close to homes in a nearby neighborhood. It's a situation residents have feared since this busy fire season started.

"There's been no rain this year, so it's been really dry and when I heard about this, it's like you've been kind of waiting, like it's only a matter of time," said resident Jon Crowell.

By 7 p.m. HCFR and the Forest Service were reporting they had made progress in containing the fire.

Still, the proximity of the fire had some people wondering if they should move to a less wooded area.

"This is the second fire that's been kind of close," said resident Cindy Demoranville. "It just makes me think I need to pack my stuff up and go."

Even those staying put said they want people to realize how dry it is out and to be more careful.

"You see the news reports about all the fires across the state," said Crowell, "you see the maps and everything and pretty much the whole state on fire in some way or another, so hopefully we get rain soon."

Forest Service officials said crews would be back out to the area on Saturday morning to check for hot spots.