MediaUpdate

​Amid a “historic drought,” Florida Forest Service crews on April 16 continued battling a 400-acre blaze just east of Gainesville Regional Airport along State Road 26.

The Forest Service spent much of the day using several bulldozers to create fire lines in an effort to control the spread of the fire.

The Forest Service initially reported on April 15 that the blaze covered 30–35 acres in the Balu Forest, but by 6:35 p.m., the fire had grown to 400 acres.

​"This fire we had last night was behaving like it was a wind-driven fire and there was no wind — a little breeze, that's it," said Ludie Bond, a wildlife mitigation specialist and spokesperson for the Florida Forest Service. "We're thinking it's because the fuels are so extremely dry."

​Bond said she was told by meteorologists with the National Weather Service’s Jacksonville office that drought conditions in the area have not been this bad since the late 1800s.

"It is beyond historic," Bond said.

​Forest Service crews battled the fire on April 15 in multiple ways, including with two U.S. Forest Service helicopters that made 22 water drops — about 22,000 gallons — onto the fire to stop its progression to the west and northwest. Two air tankers also made six large retardant drops to slow the fire’s spread.

​Bond said the drops caused temporary flight restrictions around the Gainesville airport.

Firefighters with Alachua County Fire Rescue and the Windsor Fire Department were also on scene to protect nearby structures. Bond said the fire spread onto land owned by the St. Johns River Water Management District, which was also working to contain the fire.

​The blaze forced officials to close part of State Road 26 for much of April 15 before reopening the roadway overnight.

By about 7:45 p.m. on April 16, the fire was down to about 300 acres and was about 60% contained, according to the Forest Service.

​Alachua County is currently under a mandatory countywide burn ban. Dry soils, stressed vegetation, and elevated fire risk continue to create hazardous conditions, prompting officials to urge residents to use extreme caution and avoid all outdoor burning.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Bond said 80–90% of all wildfires nationwide are caused by humans.

​"They are usually just carelessness — they are unintentional, people don't really realize what they are doing that could start a fire," she said.

Bond noted that it’s not just burning debris that can lead to a fire. She said activities such as parking on dry grass, welding, hitting a rock with a lawn mower blade, and hauling a trailer without a chain guard can all “throw a spark.”

​Bond said the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, predicts a high wildfire risk across all of Florida through June.

​"We hope the lightning doesn't get here before the rain does," she said.

​Alachua County started issuing burn ban notices in November 2025 and Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency in February (Executive Order 26-33), which recognizes the growing wildfire threat resulting from critically dry conditions across Florida.

Read more​. ​

​The wildfire off State Road 26 in eastern Alachua County grew to 400 acres and is 30% contained as of Thursday morning.

Read more​.​

​“This is just an example of exactly how dry the conditions are out there, and exactly how fast these fires can start really small and quickly expand,” shared ACFR Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor.

Watch the story​.​

​Alachua County Fire Rescue, Melrose Fire Department, and Cross Creek Fire Department crews responded to reports of a structure fire in the Lochloosa area of Southeastern Alachua County just before 4:30 a.m.

Read more​.​

​Early this morning, fire crews extinguished a fire that engulfed a 24-foot travel trailer in the Lochloosa area of southeastern Alachua County.

Read more​. 

​“I have a great bunch of kids, and they really prepped, got ready for it, and they did a great job today. They excelled,” Westwood coach and civics teacher Leo Booth said in an interview with Mainstreet following the awards ceremony for the competition, which was held at the Alachua County Administration Building. 

Read more​. ​

​Traffic is closed from County Road 234 in Windsor to US Highway 301 in Orange Heights as crews from the Florida Forest Service, Alachua County Fire Rescue and Windsor Fire Department are involved with the fire, which currently has 0% containment.

Read more​. ​

​Alachua County residents will have two opportunities to meet the two finalists for the Animal Resources director position before a selection is made.

Watch the story​.​

​The University of Florida has released plans for a new golf course, and the Alachua County Planning Commission will weigh in on the project on Wednesday.

Watch the story​.​

​Alachua County Fire Rescue crews responded to assist the forest service. Crews blocked State Road 26 between County Road 234 and U.S. 301 as they worked to contain the fire.

Watch the story​.​

​Students from seven middle schools across Alachua County put their knowledge to the test with the ninth annual Civics Challenges.

Watch the story​.

​Alachua County residents will have two opportunities to meet the two finalists for the Animal Resources director position before a selection is made.

Read more​.​

​A section of the Hammock Loop Trail at Alachua County Turkey Creek Preserve (6300 NW 93rd Ave., Alachua) will be temporarily closed for construction activities of a wildlife observation platform. The closure will occur between trail markers 11 and 13. All other trails remain open.

Read more​.​

​Can you name all nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court? How about identifying the article of the Constitution that outlines the legislative powers of Congress?

Those were just a couple of the questions students faced during the ninth annual Civics Challenge, held April 15 at the Alachua County Administrative Building in downtown Gainesville.​

​Co-sponsored by Alachua County Public Schools and the Alachua County League of Women Voters, the Civics Challenge featured teams from seven Alachua County middle schools competing in a "Family Feud"-style game. Students also worked together on a written test as part of the competition.

A total of 49 students from Fort Clarke, Hawthorne, Howard Bishop, Kanapaha, Lincoln, Oak View and Westwood middle schools participated in the event.

In the end, Westwood placed first, followed by Lincoln in second.​
Students also heard brief remarks from Eighth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Stacy Scott and Alachua County Tax Collector John Power, and enjoyed lunch on Bo Diddley Plaza.​​

A virtual competition for all seventh-grade students is also scheduled for April 21. About 2,000 students took part in the virtual event in 2025. A virtual competition for 11th-grade U.S. history students is also planned and drew nearly 1,000 students last year.

​The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) heard updates on the investigation into its Animal Resources department on Tuesday while also voting to purchase 55 acres at Newnans Lake and rezone a parcel along Archer Road for up to 112 units.  

Read more​. ​

​After the attack, Alachua County Animal Resources took custody of the dogs, which they identified as American Bullies, a breed that shares ancestry with pitbulls.

Watch the story​.​

​Firefighters from multiple agencies worked to contain a wildfire in northern ALachua County on Tuesday afternoon.

Read more​.​

​At the April 14 Alachua County Commission meeting, the board discussed allegations that animal shelter volunteers received inaccurate responses to public records requests and learned that the County and GRU have an agreement to save five live oaks that were threatened by the Parker Road extension near South Pointe.

Read more​.​

​Alachua County invites residents and community members to a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the East Tumblin Creek and Forest Edge housing communities. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. at Forest Edge (4341 SW 13th St., Gainesville).

Read more​.​