Brush fire near fairgrounds contained at quarter-acre; lightning suspected cause

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY − A brush fire caused by a suspected lightning strike near the county fairgrounds was extinguished within an hour by firefighters Friday.

A pillar of white smoke could be seen rising through tree tops near the Hobart Soccer Complex between 81st and 77th streets off 58th Avenue just before 1 p.m. as a thunderstorm passed through the area.

The fire grew to about a quarter-acre before it was put out by Indian River County Fire Rescue firefighters by roughly 1:30 p.m.

A firefighter said lightning from the storm likely caused the fire, and the agency responded with at least two brush trucks and a fire engine.

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.