MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
Just past noon, Bruce Boudelier walked outside to see what his dog Briley was barking at.
"I could see the flames out back in the house next to me, and one minute later, my whole backyard was in flames," he said.
An explosion of fire leapt up around 20 homes in the Trails Community, north of Chase Hammock Road in North Merritt Island. Carl Ray saw the flames and grabbed his garden hose.
"Flames looked like they are about 20 feet high," he said.
Local and state fire crews quickly put in a trench in hopes of containing the fire. A Florida Forest Service tractor also plowed over trees and into Ray's backyard.
Mary Martin's home was one of six threatened by the 15-acre wildfire. "I've got the car loaded, and I'm ready," she told us.
Evacuations weren't necessary as fire crews from Brevard County zig-zagged with fire hoses and successfully defended the homes here.
Elsewhere in the county, firefighters worked to contain a 6-acre fire in Palm Bay. Wild the brush fire did not threaten any homes, it did impact traffic flow.
RJ Conlan was shut down between U.S. 1 and Northview St. Motorists and the public are advised to avoid the area as firefighters work the scene.
