A 500-acre blaze near Connor-Nelson Road in West Hilliard lights up the sky early Sunday, April 19, 2026. | Florida Forest Service
Published on April 20, 2026 at 5:50 pm
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Updated at 5:50 p.m. April 20, 2026
Crews continue to battle multiple wildfires in Northeast Florida as the region lives under an extreme drought.
Most of Duval County has escaped the fires that began blazing over the weekend, but fire crews have their hands full with multiple fires in Clay, Putnam and Nassau counties, some only partially contained.
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A wildfire off County Road 209, east of U.S. 17 in Clay County, has grown to 2,000 acres and was only 5% contained as of Monday evening.
Multiple state firefighting tractors as well as aerial water tankers have been fighting the fire just north of the Clay/Putnam county line.
Sparks from a train likely started the fire near County Road 209 and Maranda Drive, county officials said.
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The county asked people not to fly drones over the fires because it could impede emergency operations. The Sheriff’s Office also discouraged people from driving toward the fires to get a view.
People who want updates about the fires can sign up for alerts at AlertClay: alert.claycountygov.com.
The SaferWatch App also enables people to follow traffic updates and emergency response.
Clay County opened a call center Monday morning for questions about the fires — 877-252-9362. If it’s an emergency, call 911.
Four fires were reported in Putnam County, including a 1,000-acre fire known as the Railroad Complex blaze northeast of U.S. 17 and north of Bostwick that was only about 5% contained as of Monday evening, the forest service said.
RELATED: Live tracking Florida’s wildfires
Just after 4 p.m. Monday, Clay County Fire Rescue announced that the Sheriff’s Office was shutting down U.S. 17 at the Clay-Putnam County line because of visibility concerns, News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner, reported.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office had stopped traffic Sunday at West Tocoi Road near Palmetto Bluff due to fire, which also had halted Amtrak train service through the area.
The Sheriff’s Office posted that as of 4:45 p.m. Monday, the unstable nature of the brush fire had prompted voluntary evacuations for Guthrie Road, Boogerville Road, Hunter Road and White Tail Trail, according to News4Jax.
Putnam County officials said that units were in the area of Guthrie Road and Hunter Road in Bostwick near the Clay County Line.
“If you live in this area, please evacuate as soon as possible to the Bostwick Community Center,” at 125 Tillman St. in Palatka, officials said.
Deputies and Fire-Rescue personnel went door to door to alert residents,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
A 500-acre fire just southeast of the Railroad Complex fire, near Millican Road, is 70% contained, while a 106-acre fire just north of the Rodman area is 80% contained. And a 325-acre wildfire west of Keuka is 85% contained, the forest service said.
Three wildfires were reported in Nassau County. A 500-acre blaze near Connor-Nelson Road in West Hilliard is now 75% contained. A 100-acre fire just east of that one is 30% contained, while a 1-acre fire is almost totally contained north of that community, the forest service said.
The Florida Highway Patrol told drivers to take care when driving through any of these areas due to smoky conditions.
All of Northeast Florida’s counties except St. Johns are under burn bans as extremely dry conditions are expected to continue for the next several weeks, creating a high threat of forest and brush fires.
Clay, Nassau, Baker and Putnam counties enacted burn bans in response to the drought, and outdoor burning is prohibited year-round without a permit in Duval County.
