HILLIARD, Fla. – A wildfire burning in Nassau County remained 40% contained Saturday night, with crews working to hold the blaze at 500 acres as the community stepped in to keep first responders fed and hydrated.
The Hilliard Little League collected enough donations to provide firefighters with lunch, dinner, and several meals into Sunday.
“We’re just doing what needs to be done to give them some food — stuff like that, to give them the energy to help fight it,” said John Brown, president of the Hilliard Little League. “It’s just what we do in a small town.”
How the community response came together
Nassau County Commission Board Chair Alyson McCullough said crews set up a staging area Friday and quickly identified a need for water. After making a few calls, she said a tent with food and water was set up within two hours.
“We had hundreds of cases of water, ground teams feeding our families and friends today,” McCullough said. “They closed the ballpark because of the smoke. Immediately all the families from the little league stepped up, stepped in. Started feeding our first responders out there fighting the fires.”
McCullough credited residents for the swift response.
“It’s a testament to the character of Nassau County and our Hilliard residents — they always step up, they always show out, they go above and beyond,” she said.
Burn ban remains in effect
Nassau County has a burn ban in effect as the Florida Forest Service continues containment efforts. McCullough urged residents to avoid burning waste until further notice.
“The little tiny spark is what started this whole fire,” McCullough said. “I would say everyone just stay away from any matches whatsoever. Callahan Recycling Center — right there by our fairgrounds, you can bring us all of your waste. We’re open Tuesday through Saturday. Do not feel like you need to light it — bring it to us and let us recycle it for you.”
Brown said the stakes of the ongoing fire go beyond what many residents may realize.
“You think about the men and women out there risking their lives to save everybody’s property — the houses, the barns, the animals,” he said. “There’s so much more to this than what people realize, and you’re just really thankful that there’s people really willing to do that.”
For updates on the fire and the burn ban, visit onenassau.com. Residents who want to support the Hilliard Little League’s efforts to feed firefighters can find donation information on the organization’s Facebook page.