UPDATE: Brush fire nearly extinguished in Jupiter preserve

Feb. 11--Fire crews are extinguishing hotspots from a brush fire in a nature preserve in Jupiter, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

The preserve, near Marquette Drive and Botanica Drive, is just south of the Jupiter Lakes Townhomes community. One of the buildings there was evacuated for about three hours after fire came about 90 feet away, said Capt. Albert Borroto, spokesman for the agency.

"I'm glad the first responders are here. You appreciate them more when it's your home," local resident Daniel Harris told The Post.

The Florida Forest Service brought in tracked vehicles to fight the fire. Borroto said county firefighters had a difficult fighting the fire because even though much of the brush was dry, much of the ground remained too wet for conventional firefighting vehicles to get closer. Gusty winds helped rekindle portions of the blaze that had been out, he said.

Firefighters arrived at 9:20 a.m. but had a hard time beating the growth of the fire, which eventually scorched about 15 to 20 acres, he said.

"We got the call at 9:20 this morning, and we got there. It was still relatively small, a few acres in size, rapidly spreading because of the wind. And that's what was really challenging for the fire crews, the wind just kept whipping the fire around," Borroto said.

The Red Cross brought water to the crews fighting the fire, while Culver's Restaurant donated burgers and other food.

Jupiter police officers also helped at the scene. Smoke from the blaze could be seen from Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter.

President Donald Trump was playing golf there this morning with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, while First Lady Melania Trump and Abe's wife Akie took a walking tour of the Morikami Japanese gardens in Delray Beach.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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