Firefighters work to contain 12-acre brush fire off of Heritage Parkway in Palm Bay
Firefighters battled a fast-moving brush fire that forced Palm Bay police to shut down a portion of St Johns Heritage Parkway briefly Wednesday afternoon.
The 12-acre fire was about 90 percent contained by 4:30 p.m. as a short burst of rain fell on the area.
The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. just south of Emerson Drive in the city's northwest section.
A small Florida Forest Service airplane circled the area as firefighters tackled the blaze as it burned through dried-out brush.
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No homes or property were immediately threatened. Firefighters were hoping to fully contain the blaze by late Wednesday.
"That can all change pretty quickly," said Cliff Frazier, wildfire mitigation specialist for the Florida Forest Service.
By 5 p.m., heavy rain fell on the area, helping to extinguish the flames.
Foresty officials did not immediately know how the brush fire started.
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Fire crews battle 12-acre Palm Bay brush fire off Heritage Parkway
