Photo: CBS 12
Firefighters continue to monitor hot spots in a brush fire that has burned about 230 acres in western Martin County.
The blaze sparked up around 1 p.m. yesterday in Palm City and it took ten hours to get all of the active flames out, when officials deemed it to be 90 percent contained. That remains the case today.
The fire has been given the nickname the "gator fire" because it is burning off Gator Trail, north of Martin Highway.
Martin Fire Rescue District Chief Tom Hornbostel was asked about a possible cause.
"So much likely clues are leading to a lightning strike. We had a storm a couple of days ago, but we don't have anything definitive at this point."
He tells CBS 12 News that more than thirty homes in the area had to be evacuated yesterday as a precaution but no damage or injuries were reported.
A second Martin County fire was reported around 5 p.m. near The Medalist golf course in Hobe Sound and had scorched at least 3 acres of wetlands.