Wildfire Close By
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (123621)
Gainesville, Florida
April 12, 2025 1:59pm CST
Wow, a lot has been going on this past week, so I'm slowly trying to catch up on things. This past week started out with a huge wildfire nearby that seemed to have caught everyone off guard. A few of you may recall comments or discussions with me recently on how this is usually our wildfire season, but because of heavy rains I felt that we would get off lucky this year. Nope. Who knew that heavy rains were only a small part of the equation? Apparently, low humidity and winds are two of the biggest factors, something we had plenty of this past week.
A wildfire of 711 acres flared up Tuesday, just north of where I live. At first I thought it was a prescribed burn and didn't worry too much about it. But then the smoke started getting thicker and thicker over the last couple of days, and then road signs started showing up warning motorists. I started to worry a little bit more when the fire got to less than a mile from where I live. The smoke was intense, and was so thick it looked like a heavy fog settling over the area.
Thankfully, firefighters got control of the fire by the end of the week and no homes or structures were damaged. Wildfires are part of the native ecosystems of Florida, and it is all part of cycle to keep our forests healthy and vibrant. Unfortunately, the aftermath of those fires are not too pretty. It's saddening right now to drive by and see nothing but charred forest, but in less than a year from now there will be beautiful new growth.
This is one of the reasons I am not a fan of springtime. Our weather here where I Iive is just crazy. Rainy and humid one day, and then dry and windy the next day. Hot one day, cool the next day.
12 people like this
10 responses
@DaddyEvil (145590)
• United States
12 Apr
We've been getting fire watches and warnings for the last two weeks because of the low humidity and wind here... Luckily, no fires have started yet in my area.
I'm glad the fire didn't reach your home and you and your family are safe.
We had beautiful looking weather yesterday but the pollen count was really high. Tree pollen especially with grass pollen off the charts! Pretty and I both spent the afternoon outside working in the yard and both of us had trouble sleeping because of stuffed up noses/runny noses and coughs. It's always fun in Missouri during the spring. I'm just glad we haven't had any tornadoes close to us!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (145590)
• United States
23h
@moffittjc We weren't going anywhere but I check the weather app several times a day and was surprised to see red alert warnings last week so had to look and see what the warnings were for.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
23h
@DaddyEvil We've had tons of rain lately, so I was completely surprised by the red alert warnings. I would have thought that the high amount of rains we had would lessen the fire danger, but apparently winds and low humidity are major precursors to wildfires.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
23h
We went to Disney yesterday, and I pulled up the Weather app to check on the temps at the theme park, and there was a red alert warning. I was thinking to myself, "it's absolutely gorgeous out, why is there an alert?" I opened up the alert and it was a warning for extreme fire danger due to high winds and low humidity. Luckily, there were no fires that I know of near or around the theme parks.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45921)
• Staten Island, New York
21h
Wildfires are dangerous and not a pretty sight. Wouldn’t want to be near one.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
20h
I saw firefighters out today still spraying the area with water. They call it "cooling down the area."
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
20h
Even today they were still out hosing the area down, even though the fire has been out for almost 2 days now.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (83814)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
22h
I hope the fires don't get out of control, Stay safe.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
20h
It looks like everything is under control for right now.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
3h
Yes, I can imagine you are very familiar with big fires. And wildfires are good for native ecosystems, the problem is that humans have encroached on so many natural areas and are often in the way of these wildfires.
@LindaOHio (186307)
• United States
4h
I'm glad the fire didn't reach you. We VERY rarely get a wildfire alert here. Only when it's been very hot and dry for a long period. So far I don't know of any actual wildfires.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
3h
You are lucky. Do you live in an urbanized area, or are you in a rural or suburban area? I live in a suburban area, but our city has a heavy tree canopy and many large forests and nature areas, so wildfires are always a possibility here.
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Apr
Tornadoes, severe weather, hail, wildfires, winds, pollen...spring is just a horrible time of year.
@snowy22315 (187547)
• United States
12 Apr
Less than a mile from where you live is pretty scary. I am sure it was plenty smoky.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Apr
Between where I live and where the wildfire was, there is an elementary school and large church. I was more worried about those places than I was about my neighborhood. Thankfully, the firefighters attacked the fire from the direction of the school and church, to fight it off before it could get close to either.
@LeaPea2417 (37737)
• Toccoa, Georgia
12 Apr
Thank goodness the fire was put under control.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
23h
I agree. Thankfully it didn't get worse than it was. But it was the first wildfire in our area this season, so forestry and firefighting resources weren't spread thin battling other fires. They were able to throw everything at it at once to get it under control. I give lots of kudos to those crews for doing such a wonderful job containing the fire.
@moffittjc (123621)
• Gainesville, Florida
22h
It was definitely a little too close for comfort. And you're right, the air was almost impossible to breathe. I was coughing and sneezing like crazy!
1 person likes this
