CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Firefighters continue working to contain a blaze that has charred more than 4,000 acres around the Putnam and Clay County line.
Fire crews tell News4JAX that digging fire lines non-stop has been critical to getting the Railroad Fire to 55% containment.
“We feel like we have a hard containment line. We still monitor it, but the fire doesn’t really have an opportunity to get out. So as we progress with our lines and building that containment on the fire, that number will go up,” said David Sechrist, a Florida Forestry Service incident commander for the Railroad Fire. “Typically, it does not go down.”
News4JAX found a fire line that was dug along the back of one property and managed to stop the fire from getting to a home.
Clay County resident Gary Swilley’s home was saved by a similar fire line.
But when he and his wife left their home of 30 years on Monday, they weren’t sure it would be there when they returned.
“I could see the flames coming up. Right then, I could tell it was too close. We had to leave,” Swilley said. “That’s our whole life. Mine and my wife’s whole life is right there in that little house. I get emotional sometimes, and everything we’ve ever worked for is right there.”
They were able to return home on Wednesday.
While the fire breaks have kept any major structures from being destroyed in Clay and Putnam counties, officials have a big concern: much of the fire is burning in a swampy area that’s hard to access and control.
“So the swamp, it either burns really, really hot and it gets really, really active or it just kind of skunks around,” Sechrist said. “So as the day progresses, it heats up. You know, the humidity drops, winds pick up. That’s when we see the fire get most active within the swamps. And now throughout the evening time, throughout nighttime, the fire’s still in there. It’s just kind of skunking around. It’s not real active. But we can’t -- other than just dumping water on it, things like that, and that’s not going to put it out -- we’re kind of letting it burn and letting it come to our containment lines.”
So with the wind and the dry weather continuing uncertainty remains for when Clay and Putnam County residents will finally be out of danger.
Fire spreads rapidly
The fire is the result of two wildfires—the Crews Road Fire in Clay County and the Railroad Complex Fire in Putnam County—merging into an “unpredictable” blaze, according to the Florida Forest Service.
MORE: Full coverage of Railroad Fire in Clay, Putnam counties
“Our fire grew very rapidly as soon as the cold front came through, and it went from, as they described, a very small series of fires along the rail lines to a large combined fire that was quickly approaching structures,” explained Clay County Fire Rescue Chief Lorin Mock. “Luckily, it occurred late enough in the day that as conditions started to moderate slightly, we were able to get control.”
WATCH: Press play below for a replay of Wednesday afternoon’s update from state, local officials
Crews continued to work into the night, establishing fire break lines and concentrating on areas of concern. Three large tankers and two scoopers conducted retardant and water drops to battle the blaze.
In Putnam County, fire crews are also working on two other fires in the area: One on State Road 19 South (Mondex), where crews have been assisting the Florida Forest Service with mop-up and containment operations on a fire that has been burning for several weeks.
The Pace Court fire originally started on Jan. 31 in the Interlachen area, where crews are working a flare-up that is endangering a structure.
WATCH: Press play below for our full interview with Chief Mock
The burning acreage is a mix of wooded land and recently clear-cut land that has massive amounts of underbrush, which can feed fires.
“Not only do we have the freeze damage and those plants that are kind of dormant into the fire areas, but now leaves, pine needles are dropping, and that’s really both building up and giving more fuel to the fire, as well as accelerating that fire development,” Mock said in an interview with anchor Bruce Hamilton on The Morning Show. “These conditions are not unique. They occur from time to time in our area, and then they present large challenges for us to control fires.”
Smoke from all of the fires is reducing visibility and may impact air quality.
Angie Enyedi with the National Weather Service explained those issues outside of the fire areas are the worst in the early morning hours.
“That’s just because the wind settles down at night so that smoke is able to pool,” she said. “So for our communities going over the next few nights, that smoke will continue to be most hazardous overnight into the early morning hours.”
Clay County Emergency Management Director Tim Devin said they are grateful for all the support from the community.
He said anyone who would like to donate food and drinks to working firefighters may do so from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day at the Clay County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall 2, 2463 FL-16 in Green Cove Springs.
Items like water, sports drinks and prepackaged snacks are most needed.
Devin said businesses have reached out to offer donations, and he asks that any business interested in offering support contact the call center at 1-877-CLAY-EOC.
“So that we can track that appropriately to make sure that we’re not duplicating the effort when it comes to delivering meals to this particular location,” Devin said.
The lines are manned from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. but the line is monitored 24/7, he said.
Evacuations, closures, cancellations
Voluntary evacuations are in place in Putnam County north of Bostwick for residents along Guthrie Road, Boogerville Road, Hunter Road and White Tail Trail.
The Bostwick Community Center, located at 125 Tillman St. in Palatka, has been set up as a shelter for evacuees.
The Coast Guard issued a Marine Advisory on Tuesday morning because of zero visibility on the St. Johns River near Bostwick and north into Clay.
Authorities say smoke from the Railroad Fire is affecting Palatka, East Palatka and even south Putnam.
“I ask people on the highways to please use caution,” said Clay County Sheriff’s Office Chief Jeff Johnson. “You’re going to come into some areas that have heavy smoke. I’m concerned about the safety of the driver as well as our public safety officials working in the area. If you do see a fire truck or police car or personnel, slow down, give them some room and allow them to operate.”
Hilliard Elementary School messaged parents on Tuesday that, because of conditions, testing for students in kindergarten through second grade that was set for Tuesday will be rescheduled for a later date. Families will be notified once new dates are confirmed. If conditions permit, Math testing will resume on Thursday, April 23.
we have made the decision to postpone testing for students in kindergarten through second grade today. Testing will be rescheduled for a later date, and families will be notified once new dates are confirmed. If conditions permit, Math testing will resume on Thursday, 4/23/26.
In Putnam County, the Law Enforcement Memorial that was scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled because of an increase in smoke, visibility and respiratory concerns from the fire.
“Unfortunately, until we get a change in either the weather conditions or we get some rain, which doesn’t seem likely, we have to keep those advisories in place to make sure we have comfortable areas for our trucks to get into and also for people not to be in danger,” said Mock.
Because of the fire’s erratic behavior, officials are urging residents to prepare now for the possibility of mandatory evacuations, although those have not yet been ordered.
They warn that if conditions worsen, those evacuations could become mandatory, and residents need to be prepared to move quickly.
“You are going to want to make sure you keep your gas tanks no less than half full, your electric vehicles no less than half full. Because when we call for that evacuation, it’s not going to be time to go to the gas station, it’s going to be time to get the heck out of dodge and move very quickly,” said Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “Right now, half is the new empty. If you are at half, go ahead and fill that tank up so you are ready.”
The Jacksonville Equestrian Center has offered to take in animals needing to evacuate because of the fires for $25 a night to cover the cost of stripping the stalls and two bags of shavings.
The Rodeheaver Boys Ranch is also offering a safe place for horses in their paddocks, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. For more information, contact Barn Manager Crystal at 386-336-3435.
24/7 resources
Crews are working around the clock to try to contain the fire, but most of Northeast Florida is under a red flag warning as strong winds, warm temperatures and dry conditions are fueling the flames.
“We are going to have extensive fire conditions throughout the woods for days and potentially weeks ahead until we get either substantial rainfall or we can work it and get it to darken down,” Mock said. “Given these dry conditions - the heat and the fire within the ground can actually come up for days or weeks beyond this event.”
Guthrie said on Monday that the Florida National Guard Aviation unit will be involved in the firefight beginning Tuesday and that he is in talks with Gov. Ron DeSantis to bring in more state resources as needed.
On Tuesday, News4JAX learned that the Florida National Guard is mobilizing six rotary wing helicopters and associated aircrews/personnel to support the Florida Forest Service in north and central Florida.
Meanwhile, the Florida Forest Service has deployed a significant number of resources to fight the blaze. Earlier, the agency had 63 personnel, 36 dozers, 10 engines and two fixed-wing aircraft on scene.
Federal resources also responded, including three VLATs — Very Large Air Tankers — scoopers, a helicopter and air attack support. Officials note those numbers are fluid as conditions on the fire continue to change rapidly.
Clay County Fire Rescue and Putnam County Fire Rescue also have multiple resources on scene, coordinating structure protection and assisting the Florida Forest Service with wildfire suppression.
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook says anyone who would like to donate food and drinks to working firefighters may do so Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Items like water, sports drinks and prepackaged snacks can be dropped off at the Clay County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall 2, 2463 FL-16 in Green Cove Springs.
Crews are working day and night shifts in an effort to contain the fire. Updated information is available through the Florida Forest Service’s Fire Response Public Viewer here.
Don’t spark a new fire
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department issued an immediate burn ban for all of Duval County on Tuesday, joining the following Northeast Florida counties under a burn ban: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns and Union.
Florida Forest Service spokesperson Dr. Ludie Bond said on The Morning Show on Monday that many types of outdoor activities could spark a fire.
“We actually had a fire being started by a pig roast,” she said. “There are things that people are doing with their outdoor activities that they may not realize could actually throw a spark and start a fire.”
She also warned that mowing can be dangerous if the lawnmower strikes a rock and sparks a fire, dragging chains from trailer hitches could spark grass along the road and parking on dry grass should be avoided.
“With conditions so dry and extreme and the fire behavior that we’re seeing, people need to use extreme caution,” Bond said. “We are seeing extremely unusual but very erratic fire behavior right now.”
Officials reminded residents to also avoid burning any debris or disposing of cigarettes on the ground.
“We will be dealing with accidental fires, whether it’s ultimately caused by lightning or inadvertently started by sparks along the roadway or something. Those are accidental. We can’t prevent that,” Mock said. “But you can prevent the fire by choosing not to start fires outside.”