LAKE PLACID, Fla. — Several homes, sheds and cars were damaged after a large brush fire burned through parts of Lake Placid and extended to areas of Highlands County Tuesday.
According to authorities, the blaze stretched across 318.3 acres and as of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the fire is about 85 percent contained.
The fire caused 191 people living in the area to evacuate on Tuesday, according to Florida Forest Service spokesperson Dave Grubech. The evacuation order was lifted late Tuesday.
The fire, which began Tuesday afternoon, was located in the Leisure Lakes subdivision, according to Grubech.
As of Wednesday morning, Florida Power and Light is working to replace burned poles in order to restore power; the grid, Grubech said, was shut down during the blaze.
At least two homes in the area were damaged by the fire; the extent of the damage isn't known. Five sheds were also damaged or destroyed and two cars were burned.
Highlands County Fire Rescue said on Tuesday around 175 structures were under the now-rescinded evacuation order. The fire was said to be around 300 acres within a 700-acre area of concern.
Rescue crews said the fire was brought under control sometime before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Multiple structures reportedly caught fire, including several outbuildings, a vehicle, a utility trailer and 1-2 homes with minor damage.
In several social media posts on Facebook, the Highlands County Sheriff's Office announced the evacuation of homes after 4 p.m. in the areas of Durrance to Henscratch roads in Lake Placid.
At around 4:45 p.m., deputies then announced homes in the area of Paso Fino Drive to Northern Boulevard were also evacuated due to the fire. Authorities at about 5 p.m. extended the evacuation zone into the area of Grand Concourse.
10 Tampa Bay spoke with one woman whose house is in the impacted area, but is said to be okay after she saw aerial footage of her home appearing unharmed.
"It's the best news ever," evacuee Angie Larosa said. "Everything else around it is burnt to a crisp, but my house is still there. And that's all I needed."
Officials dropped buckets of water from a helicopter and used seven bulldozers on the ground to put out flames, Grubech said.
A shelter was opened for those impacted in the area at the Bert J. Harris Jr. Agricultural Center, located off of George Boulevard and U.S. Highway 27 in Sebring.
Fire Rescue announced the evacuation order was lifted at 10:25 p.m.
