Hurst Hammock fire: brush fire now at 86 acres

A brush fire in the Hurst Hammock area of Escambia County spread to about 86 acres Thursday, according to Escambia County officials.

Escambia County Fire Rescue, the Florida Forest Service and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office responded to the fire Wednesday in the Hurst Hammock Road area, and crews worked to contain the blaze throughout the afternoon.

Previously: Firefighters containing Hurst Hammock Road brush fire

No homes were threatened and no evacuations were ordered.

Escambia County Forester Cathy Hardin said crews stayed on scene overnight, and as of Wednesday night had the fire about 25% contained.

Hardin said that as of about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, officials were working to get an aircraft over the fire to assess the containment status of the brush fire.

She said there were seven tractor-plow units and four engines on scene and that crews were still working to improve the containment lines.

This incident isn't the first time the area has been ablaze.

In May 2020, a wildfire in the Hurst Hammock area burned for more than a week and at its peak exceeded 1,200 acres.

The blaze carved a path of destruction over a wide swath of forest in western Escambia County near Perdido Bay. The fire threatened 29 residences in the Hurst Landing area, although none of those homes were issued evacuation orders.

That fire was determined to be human-caused, though there was no indication the fire was intentional.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Hurst Hammock wildfire in Escambia spreads to 86 acres