MILTON — Donald Perkins, who lives on Thoroughbred Drive in East Milton, said he is grateful for firefighters and unknown residents who acted to save his home from an approaching fire.
“I was out of town when it happened on Sunday,” Perkins said.
An out-of-control grass fire had already been extinguished by the time Perkins returned to his mobile home. Perkins said that most information he received about the incident was from neighbors and East Milton Volunteer Fire Department officials.
“According to my neighbor, the flames were 20 feet high and it was burning towards the direction of my house,” Perkins said.
While nearby vacant property burned alongside a lot behind Perkins’ home, his home and utility shed were spared. Perkins said unknown Good Samaritans also worked to keep his home from destruction.
“My neighbor thought they were my relatives of mine, but they were not my relatives,” he said. “I don’t know who they were. Some of the people showed up here and got my garden hoses going.”
Without their involvement, Perkins said the fire would have consumed his shed and his home.
Perkins is also thankful for volunteer firefighters’ efforts in containing and extinguishing the fire, especially for doing so in a heavily wooded area during a recent drought.
“They did an excellent job,” Perkins said. “There is a lot of brush out here. If they did not do their job, this could have been a big disaster.”
The Florida Forest Service also responded to the scene. Mitigation Specialist Joe Zwierzchowski said 13 acres burned during the incident and, while the fire did threaten several structures, none were damaged.
Zwierzchowski said the initial cause was due to an out-of-control yard debris burn. No injuries were reported.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Firefighters, residents prevent house fire