Dry June fuels 20-acre brush fire near Alico Road in Lee County

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)— A brush fire off Alico Road grew to 20 acres Tuesday, bringing smoke and concerns for drivers.

Earlier in the day, thick smoke made it difficult to see down parts of Alico Road. Conditions improved by evening, but evidence of the fire remained visible as crews continued their work.

The brush fire drew the attention of neighbors Tuesday afternoon as smoke rose above the tree line. Hunter Dietrich and his father Robert, who live nearby, walked over to check it out as firefighters battled the flames.

"We saw it probably around 2 o'clock this afternoon, and then we've seen it just get a lot bigger now," Hunter Dietrich said.

"Hoping the winds don't blow towards our house, as long as they point away, then we'll probably have no risk of a fire, but just hopefully the winds stay away," he said.

The fire started in a wooded area just north of Esplanade Lake Club Boulevard and west of Alico Road. A San Carlos Park Fire spokesperson said wind has been one of the biggest challenges through the day, but that wasn't the only difficulty.

"The fire is inset into the woods, so we'd have property owner give us access to what we call two trail to allow us to get back and even begin to fight the fire in the first place," said Alexis McLellan, public information officer for San Carlos Park Fire District.

McLellan said dry conditions have also created a higher fire risk than what's typical for this time of year.

"Typically, during June, we'll see, you know, several hours of a downpour every single day, and everyone knows we're just not getting that, so conditions are drier than a typical June for us," McLellan said.

Officials said a dry June and gusty winds have created the perfect conditions to feed this fire. It's not clear what caused the fire.