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‘Bulk of the fire is out:’ Crews battling hotspots at Space Force annex in Palm Bay

Fire reported in Space Force Malabar Annex

PALM BAY, Fla. – Several homes in Palm Bay were temporarily evacuated after a large brush fire began Saturday in the U.S. Space Force Malabar Annex, according to fire officials.

Palm Bay Fire Rescue said that homes along Isar Avenue NW were evacuated as a precaution after the active brush fire pushed to the west from the annex.

The 35-40 acre fire was contained within the Space Force property, officials said.

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“The bulk of the fire is out,” as of 8 p.m., according to PBFR. “A majority of the fire efforts now are focused on putting out hotspots and small flare ups.”

No homes or structures are damaged at this time, officials said.

The fire was “very fast moving” when it started, Palm Bay Fire Rescue said in a statement.

Resident Peter Garcia said his family frantically got to safety.

“When I walked outside, I knew. If you can feel like heat like an oven door, it’s time to go so you the flames coming up over there,” Garcia said. “When you see the embers start to fly, you see me run inside, look it. It literally hit my ear and I was like, I need to go.”

Garcia said he watched as the flames got closer.

“I was worried. I was thinking about my kids, my grandma. She’s 99 years old. I had to get her out of the car and into the truck,” Garcia said.

Footage shared to News 6 by Jay from Palm Bay shows a massive plume of smoke rising from the fire.

Footage shared to News 6 by Jay from Palm Bay showing a massive plume of smoke rising from a brush fire on Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

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About the Authors
Brandon Hogan headshot

Brandon, a UCF grad, joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021. Before joining News 6, Brandon worked at WDBO.

Jacob Langston headshot

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.