The U.S. Forest Service and Lake County Fire Rescue responded to a fire off Paisley Road on the Ocala National Forest Saturday night. Officials say the fire was caused by a car that got stuck while off-roading.
The exhaust system of the car caught the dry grass beneath it on fire and later the car itself. The total area burned was 20.5 acres and the car was a total loss. Officials say that driving off designated trails is illegal on forest land and unwise.
Had the area not been surrounded by a dirt road system and if the response had been delayed, the area burned could have been larger.
