Firefighters have responded to dozens of similar brush fires the last couple of weeks saving dozens of homes.
To be a good firefighter you have to be a student of history. Twenty years ago fires consumed hundreds of homes.
"We, unfortunately, lost a lot of houses," said Marty Harn with the Florida Forest Service.
In 1998, there were nearly 5,000 fires, hundreds of homes were lost.
Shortly after state leaders made mitigation a priority.
"Fire breaks behind the community," said mitigation specialist Melissa Yunas.
Her job was created after 1998.
Firefighters make prescribed burns and fire breaks a priority in wildfire-prone areas near neighborhoods.
"Minimizing the loss of homes because basically from 1998 all the way to 2001, we lost (a) substantial amount of homes," said Harn.
Education is a factor as well. A majority of fires now are caused by lightning.
