Wildfire in Southern Columbia, Florida

At 2:40 pm on 1/19/23, the Florida Forest Service reported a wildfire about 5 miles south of Lake City. The fire was about 12 acres around 4:18 pm local time. About 30 residences were evacuated. Gusty SW winds exacerbated fire growth. By 11:10 pm local time, the Florida Forest Service and local broadcast media reported that the fire was contained after consuming 44 acres. The cost of damage was unknown.

A wildfire developed south of Lake City during the afternoon of January 19th. A warm and breezy day developed as high pressure shifted SE of the region with the approach of a weakening front. Temperatures warmed to near 80 inland through mid afternoon despite increasing cloudiness. The main weather impact for most locations was gusty SSW winds with sustained speeds 12-16 mph and gusts of 20-30 mph into the late afternoon.