MELBOURNE, Fla. — Windy conditions have contributed to several large Brevard County brushfires over the last couple of days, including one on I-95 Monday.
What You Need To Know
- High winds have contributed to the spread of fires in Brevard County over the weekend and into Monday
- One fire Monday shut down lanes in both directions on I-95
- A 50-plus acre fire broke out Saturday near the Space Force Base annex as well as a 20-acre fire elsewhere on Sunday
A grass fire spread on the interstate northbound at mile marker 170 near the Valkaria Road overpass.
Flames spread to nearby woods and jumped from the roadway to the median.
Both sides of the interstate were shut down for about an hour as crews snuffed it out.
In Palm Bay Saturday, a 50-plus acre fire in the Patrick Space Force Base Malabar Annex on Minton Road impacted the neighborhood behind it. It began to burn backyards, and a shed caught fire.
From Rob and Cathy Angueira’s window, they saw the fire grow and burn past the fence of the annex behind them.
Police and fire ordered them to evacuate.
“In less than five minutes, the winds had kicked up 20-25 mph,” said Rob. “It was here in a span of no time, and those trees had flames all the way up there 30 feet.”
Sunday, another 20 acre fire broke out near Babcock Street and Malabar Road.
Firefighters were able to contain it before it threatened any homes or businesses.
Palm Bay Fire Rescue has signs warning about the high risk of wildfires right now.
The cause of the fires is still under investigation.
