PALM BAY, Fla. (WFLA) — A large brush fire set the inside of the Space Force Annex up in flames, according to Palm Bay Fire Rescue.
Crews said the nearly 30-acre fire broke out at around 2 p.m. on Saturday near the intersection of Malabar Road and Babcock Street Southeast.
Several nearby homes were evacuated due to the fire threat.
"I looked out the window, and there was nothing but flames, a lot of smoke, debris in the air, and ashes. We could feel the heat and everything," Carisa Ramirez, one of the evacuated neighbors told NBC affiliate WESH.
Another neighbor said his fence and boat were damaged by the fire. He is expecting repairs to cost thousands of dollars but is grateful that no one was injured.
"The boat is garbage. There are some airboat props that are sitting there that got burned up, the fence, and some other little stuff, nothing major," Jason Cochran told WESH. "It could have been worse. The only thing was making sure dogs and kids were safe."
By 8 p.m., the bulk of the fire was put out, as crews shifted their focus to putting out hotspots and small flare-ups, fire rescue said.
In an update on Sunday afternoon, Babcock Street was still shut down.
Officials said that heavy winds contributed to the spread, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.