SHARPES, Fla. — People were forced to evacuate from their homes to get to safety as a wildfire burned several acres near Cocoa.
Five of 10 homes damaged by the fire have been destroyed, fire officials said Friday afternoon, according to WKMG-TV. One firefighter was said to be taken to the hospital because of heat exhaustion.
The Florida Forestry Service tweeted just after 3:30 p.m. that the forward progress of the fire — called the Persimmon Fire — has stopped with 80-percent containment.
About 50 homes in a four-block area were evacuated, Brevard Emergency Management spokesperson Don Walker told WKMG. They were mobile homes that were mostly made of wood, he added.
Nearly all of the Flordia peninsula is at a level four of five on the fire danger index, which is a "very high" level.