Firefighters Beat Back Fire Near Town

Firefighters working in residents’ backyards beat back a wildfire bearing down on the town of Waldo, losing only a barn to the blaze. Fire crews worked for several hours at the edge of town before an evening wind shift turned the flames away from neighborhoods. The 1,100 people in this town northeast of Gainesville were told to leave as the 7-mile-long, mile-wide fire approached from the southwest. Since Memorial Day, 94 wildfires have burned across 43,000 acres in Florida, causing at least 13 injuries and one death and damaging at least 78 homes.