Mother, 4-year-old daughter flee Collier County home as brush fire grows

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—A mother and her 4-year-old daughter evacuated their home late Monday night as the Picayune Strand brush fire burned nearby.

Arielle Josie, who moved to Collier County just a couple of months ago, grabbed what she could when officials told her to leave. Her young daughter packed her firetruck toy and other favorites as they prepared to evacuate.

"She grabbed her firetruck," Josie said.

The thick smoke posed a serious concern for Josie because her daughter is asthmatic. Her biggest worry was that the fire would continue to grow with no gain in containment overnight.

With a few clothes and her daughter's toys quickly packed up, Josie locked the door and left. She wasn't sure she would ever see her new home again because of her past—when she was 4 years old, her house burned down.

This time, she knew her daughter was scared when the little girl asked to call her father.

"She typically goes to him whenever she's worried or concerned about what's next," Josie said. "He definitely reassured her, and she was able to go to sleep last night."

Josie and her daughter planned to stay at the library until it closed at 8 p.m. or until they knew they could safely return home.