Brush fire threatens mobile homes

A 15- to 20-yard brush fire threatened a mobile home park Wednesday afternoon near Collier Boulevard and Manatee Road, said East Naples Fire Department spokesman Greg Speers.

The fire started at about 4:50 p.m. and came to within 20 yards of the Marco Shore Estates mobile home park and was about a quarter-mile from the Quail Roost Condominium Association. The fire also neared three abandoned trailers, but they were not damaged, Speers said.

Firefighters from the East Naples Fire Department, the Isles of Capri Fire and Rescue, and the state Division of Forestry fought the blaze and got it under control in about two hours. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and Collier County EMS also helped at the scene, Speers said.

Firefighters said they planned to be on the scene all night to make sure the fire didn’t spread.

“There’s no real head of this fire to worry about,” Speers said at about 6 p.m. “It’s just little pockets they’re working on.”

Smoke filled the streets around the Marco Shores Estates and Quail Roost, though most residents didn’t seemed too concerned about the blaze. One man was even riding a bicycle through the smoke.

Photo by Garrett Hubbard, Daily News

Corporal John Borchers of the Collier County Sheriff's Office directs the delivery of a brush clearing vehicle for a 10-acre fire that broke out near the Marco Shores Estates off Collier Blvd. and Manatee Road Wednesday. The fire broke out at about 4:50 p.m. and three abandoned trailers were threatened, but no homes were damaged.

No roads were closed and there were no restrictions on exits and entries. Eight people did leave their homes as a precaution recommended by sheriff’s deputies, Speers said.

Rexene Fowler, who lives near the fire, said she was helping a neighbor get her baby triplets ready in case they were told to vacate their homes.

“We’re just trying to get them dressed and ready to go in case we have to get out of here,” Fowler said. “If they tell me I’ve got five minutes to get out, I’m ready.”

Fowler’s friend, Mike Kelly, said he prepared to leave when Fowler told him about the blaze.

“I’m going to get my cat and my golf clubs,” Kelly said.

Recent wet weather probably helped keep the fire from spreading too far, too fast, Speers said.

“With the rain, the vegetation is just a little bit hydrated now,” he said.