Collier County brush fire 90% contained after damaging homes, vehicles

Fires in Collier County incinerated two homes while crews continued working into Monday morning to contain the blazes.

The evacuation orders that were originally given have since been lifted, even though the fires continue to burn. WINK News has been told fire crews are in mop-up mode.

As a result of the fire, three homes have minor damage, and 20 sheds, eight vehicles, four boats and three jet skis have been destroyed.

The brush fire spans over 300 acres and is 90% contained as of Monday afternoon.

WINK News spoke with Dee Dee Connor, a homeowner in the area of the brush fire.

“Of course, it was dark, so I couldn’t see how much destruction there was at the time, so this morning it was quite a shock and quite an eye-opener to realize how close it actually came and how fortunate we were,” Connor said.

On Friday night, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Bureau used Bambi buckets to scoop water up from canals and ponds and release it over the brush fire. Each scoop delivered 240 gallons of water.

North Collier Fire Chief Eloy Ricardo gave some advice on how to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

“Make sure that you respect the burn ban,” Ricardo said. “We don’t want to have fires for no reason… people just violating our burn ban policy. It’s there for safety and for the rest of the community. So, just make sure that you abide by the burn ban.”

The best thing to do if you’re near the fire is to keep your doors and windows closed with your air conditioner on and stay inside.