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Associated PressA blaze sparked on Wednesday has spread over 3,000 acres. Much of the region has been unusually dry.
BAXTER - A 3,000-acre wildfire continued to burn in northeast Florida on Saturday, aided by the hot, breezy weather and abnormally dry conditions.
The fire, in Baker County near the Georgia border, was about 15 percent contained, Division of Forestry spokesman Gene Madden said.
No buildings had been lost, although State Road 2 was closed. One of the 80 firefighters was injured, separating a shoulder in a fall, Madden said.
The blaze's eastern perimeter pushed within 100 feet of homes on Friday, but only a junkyard has burned. Evacuations have not been necessary but plans are in place, Madden said.
An investigation has begun into the cause of the fire, which began Wednesday.
"Our concern is that Florida, right now, has very good potential for wildfire activity," Madden said. "Until we get some significant rain, we're in one of the periods when the Sunshine State can become the In Flames State."
The National Weather Service reports much of the region has seen less than half the usual rainfall this spring. Jacksonville, about 40 miles to the east, has seen only 1.24 inches in May, 44 percent of the normal for the month.
In Baker County, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index - a gauge of wildfire risk that measures the dryness of the soil and surface fuels - has a reading in the mid 600s on a zero-to-800 scale. The higher the number, the greater the risk of fires.
Meanwhile, forecasts for the county called for temperatures in the mid 90s with westerly winds up to 15 mph.