- March 9, 2025
A wildfire consumed an acre of an empty lot on State Road A1A Thursday afternoon and spread to two residential lots before jumping the road and traveling west through an empty lot.
The fire started around 2:30 p.m., said Don Petito, chief of Flagler County Fire Rescue. By 4 p.m., the fire was mostly contained. State Road A1A was closed until after 5 p.m. as five Flagler County fire engines, Florida Power and Light, the Florida Division of Forestry, Fire Flight and the Palm Coast Utilities Division worked to stabilize the scene.
The entire backyard, garage and one room of 3431 N. Oceanshore Blvd. was damaged. Next door, a home incurred some damage to its eaves, which were melted by the fire's heat. As firefighters contained the flames, Greg Johnston, the home's owner, used a garden hose from his yard to help, considering himself lucky to have escaped the blaze with minor damage.
The wind assisted the fire's rapid spread, Petito said. Once the fire jumped across the street, it made it almost as far west as the Fox Cut Canal, just before the Island Estates development, before crews were able to stop it and then extinguish it.
