Arson is suspected in an "intense" wildfire that burned Tuesday afternoon near a Volusia County middle school, officials said.

  • Railroad ties burning near 10th Street in New Smyrna Beach
  • Cause of fire remains under investigation, but arson suspected
  • Florida Forest Service on scene to help fight the "intense" fire

The call came in at 12:30 p.m. The fire was burning a pile of railroad ties in the area of 10th Street in New Smyrna Beach.

Ana Hackett, a spokeswoman with New Smyrna Beach Fire Department, said it was the third of three fires in the same area.

The first fire was a small camp fire located in the same area. Crews responded to a second fire in the same area when they noticed the fire along the railroad tracks.

Hackett said there is no nearby water, so crews were letting it burn as of 3:45 p.m.

The fire is on an adjacent train track that belongs to Florida East Coast Railway. A train was scheduled to pass through on the major track at about 4:15 p.m. After the train passes, a water line will be ran across the tracks, through a canal and the woods to a water supply at a Wendy’s restaurant, Hackett said.

Agencies working the fire include the Florida Forest Service, the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department, Edgewater Fire and Volusia County Fire Rescue.

Volusia County Fire Rescue officials said no evacuations have been ordered. School district officials said New Smyrna Beach Middle School wasn't allowing classroom changes because of the smoke in the area, but the school wasn't on lockdown.

Arson wildfires on the rise

The Florida Department of Agriculture is very concerned about arson and is urging people to report suspicious activity.

The department says 320 wildfires were started by arsonists so far in 2017, burning more than 20,000 acres. By comparison, there were nearly 400 arson wildfires in Florida in 2016.

This week is National Arson Awareness Week. The agency is urging Floridians to support suspicious wildfire activity by calling 911, then the department's Arson Alert Hotline at 1-800-342-5869.