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 11:56 am
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Crews are battling 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 1,800 acres, none of it contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.
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 morning, the forest service said.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office had stopped traffic Sunday at West Tocoi Road near Palmetto Bluff due to that fire, which had also halted Amtrak train service through the area.
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.
News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner, reported that two fires near the Clay-Putnam County line could grow into a single fire burning more than 3,000 acrews.
Three wildfires are 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 tells 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.
