As fire dangers remain high in Central Florida, one family is grateful that firefighters were able to extinguish a 30-acre brush fire that had come within feet of their mobile home.
News 6 reporter James Sparvero was on the scene Wednesday on John Rodes Boulevard, where it took six hours for workers from numerous fire departments to put out the fire.
Sparvero returned to the neighbourhood on Wednesday to meet a brave woman who helped evacuate her mother while briefly fighting the fire herself.
Dharasena Odom reported that the fire reached within ten feet of her mother’s home in the Lamplighter Village 55 and over mobile home development.
“My mom said she started seeing ashes, and I told her, ‘Mom, that’s normal because of the fire that’s across the street.’ And she was like, ‘No, Dari, like, there’s ashes.’ And so I look out the door, and I see right over there, I see fire,” Odom explained.
Odom was looking at the 30-acre fire across John Rodes, which started a smaller fire on her side of the road.
“And so, I immediately turned back to my mom and I said, ‘I need you to stay calm. I need you to grab your cats, and I need you to get in the car and go.’ And so, I came out here, I grabbed the hose, and I started watering it down,” she said.
Odom stated that she stopped attempting to put out the fire when she noticed how large it had grown.
“It engulfed over the entire fence, and I saw it go up the trees, and I dropped the hose immediately and said, ‘God, this is in your hands.’ And it’s literally, by the grace of God, as you can see, it didn’t damage anything,” she said.
Odom stated that her mother is still shaken, but also feels privileged and favoured.
Some personnel returned to the fire scene on Wednesday.
According to Melbourne’s public relations officer, firefighters are continuing working in high-risk areas.
When brush fires threaten your property, firemen advise you to call 911 and leave it to the pros because the fire might spread quickly.
Odom stated that while evacuating her mother and using her own hose, she was still able to phone 911.
