An illegal book burning led to a Florida wildfire that has burned 400 acres in Nassau County, destroyed at least 10 homes, and displaced 150 people.
The fire burned near Bryceville, about 20 miles west of Jacksonville and is being called the Garfield Road Fire, CNN reported. On Thursday morning the fire was 65 percent contained but was not expected to be fully contained by the end of the day.
After a man started burning paperback books on his property, strong winds in the area blew burning paper beyond the man’s property and continued to spread out of control beyond excavation lines that had initially been set up, according to UPI.
The man who burned the books was issued a violation notice and will have to pay for the costs of fighting the fire. He may also be held civilly liable for the homes that were destroyed and damaged, UPI reported.
The fire was widely regarded to be accidental by emergency personnel. A few firefighters received minor injuries, but no one was injured seriously, UPI reported. Power lines were destroyed by the fire, and there is no timetable yet for evacuees to return to their homes.
Residents are being asked to comply with burn restrictions because conditions are expected to remain dry over the next several months.
So far this year, 250 percent more acreage has burned in Florida over last year during the same time period, The Huffington Post said.
Twitter users were cautionary about the dangers of burning books.
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