Environment

Lochloosa West wildfire reaches 956 acres, half contained as ash falls on Gainesville

A brush fire burning south of Hawthorne has grown to nearly 1,000 acres and reached 50 percent containment as Florida Forest Service crews work around the clock to control the blaze. Firefighters have been conducting controlled burns to reduce available fuel, a tactic that sent ash drifting over East Gainesville and the town of Waldo. County Road 325, which had been closed during earlier stages of the fire, has since reopened.

Sources: Mainstreet Daily News · The Gainesville Sun · WCJB TV20 · WUFT News