Charlotte County families evacuate as 31-acre wildfire threatens homes

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)— A fire threatened homes and forced families to evacuate, with firefighters still on the scene more than 24 hours later.

The 31-acre fire exploded across a neighborhood just east of Punta Gorda on Tuesday, forcing some residents to think the worst. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office evacuated families as flames scorched backyards and spread rapidly through the area.

Bradley and Brenda Roh have lived in the neighborhood for five years on four acres with a couple of chickens. The couple said their dream home almost turned into a nightmare when the fire reached their backyard.

"Just so fast, how quickly it spread. It was very, very scary," Brenda Roh said.

The Rohs grabbed a hose to defend their home as flames threatened their property. Neighbor Daphney Holmes faced difficult decisions during the evacuation.

"What do you take, what do you leave? What's most valuable to you? You know, things like that…" Holmes said.

Southwest Florida firefighters swarmed Charlotte County to battle the blaze from both the ground and the air. The sheriff's office used a Black Hawk helicopter to drop thousands of gallons of water on the fire.

Charlotte County Fire Chief Matthew McElroy warned about the dangers of the current conditions.

"Small fire can turn into a very large fire, and we can lose homes," McElroy said. "Peak fire season for us."

Charlotte County lifted its burn ban one month ago. The county's fire chief said he's now trying to get it back in place as firefighters battle drought, wind, and flames.

Bradley Roh reflected on the experience compared to other natural disasters.

"We've been through, of course, hurricanes and such, but this was a very different experience…" Bradley Roh said.

The Florida Forest Service reported that the fire is now 75% contained and that evacuations have been lifted. Charlotte County Fire officials said no one was injured and no homes were lost, though someone lost a shed.

Neighbors expressed relief that their homes are still standing. Brenda Roh said losing their home would have been devastating.

The decision on reinstating the burn ban is up to Charlotte County commissioners.