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As night fell Wednesday, Joe Bray tried to make the most of his situation. The 47-year-old father and his sons, 8-year-old Briar and 13-year-old Joseph, sat inside a shelter set up at Bryceville First Baptist Church, picking at slices of pizza on disposable plates. Not knowing if their home would still be standing in the morning had robbed them of their appetites.

The Bray family was one of many forced to flee their homes hours earlier under a mandatory evacuation triggered by a massive wildfire. The fire scorched hundreds of acres in Bryceville in western Nassau County, damaging or destroying some homes and threatening others caught in its path. “Everything we own is there. That’s our life,” Bray said.

The fire started as an illegal burn at a home near County Road 121 about 2 p.m., according to the Florida Forest Service. Fueled by gusty weather, it quickly spiraled out of control, spreading from five acres initially to nearly 400. By nightfall, the flames were roughly 50 percent contained.

“They’re still working on lines and they’ll be plowing lines all night long. And the firefighters will be out there fighting it,” said Annaleasa Winter, state wildfire mitigation specialist. Winter said the resident behind the fire was illegally burning paperback books. She said he has been cited for the incident and will be billed for all the forestry resources — aircraft, bulldozers, and personnel — used to fight the fire. “He’ll also probably be held civilly liable because everybody’s probably going to sue him,” she said.

Winter anticipated it would take until Thursday night before authorities are able to bring the flames under control. She said the cleanup would require several more days.

From The Florida Times-Union: https://jacksonville.com/news/public-safety/2017-03-22/uncertainty-looms-over-families-forced-flee-bryceville-wildfire