CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The massive Railroad Fire burning near the Clay–Putnam County line now spans around 4,186 acres and is about 55% contained, as of Wednesday morning.
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.”
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.
WATCH: Press play below for our full interview with Chief Mock
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.
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.
Anyone who would like to donate food and drinks to working firefighters may do so starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday 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.
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.
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.”