A brush fire near Mims burned 20 acres and several sheds before firefighters contained it Thursday afternoon. The flames came within 10 feet of a home on Rosemary Place, according to Brevard County Fire Chief Patrick Voltaire. Firefighters spent three hours battling the fast-moving fire, which forced an evacuation of the nearby home. "They held strong against the wall of fire," Voltaire said. "Their house wasn’t butted up against the thick woods, or it would have been a completely different story."
The fire broke out on Blue Ridge Road, where nearly 40 Brevard County fire trucks and a Florida Forest Service helicopter worked to suppress the flames. The helicopter dropped water from the air, and firefighters on the ground created a grass buffer to protect the home. Heather Hatfield, whose boyfriend works at the Kennedy Space Center, called him when the fire started. He arrived quickly but was initially blocked from entering the area. "You never expect it to happen by your house," Hatfield said.
Voltaire attributed the fire’s rapid spread to an unusual winter weather pattern that left the terrain drier than normal. The fire was one of two reported in Brevard County that day. Another blaze near a church in Melbourne forced a family to evacuate as smoke surrounded their home. Both fires highlight the challenges firefighters face during the dry season.
The home on Rosemary Place remained unharmed, thanks in part to the grass buffer and the coordinated efforts of firefighters. Voltaire praised his crew’s work but warned that the risk of fast-moving fires remains high. "We’ve had a lot of heat this year," he said. "It’s a reminder that everyone needs to be prepared."