The brush fire that has been burning in the Frostproof area since last week is about 85 percent contained. 

According to the Florida Forest Service, crews are scaling back, widening fire lines and increasing the use of water along the fire perimeter.

The FFS has been battling the flames along with Polk County Fire Rescue since Wednesday. 

Crews continue to be especially concerned with visibility due to smoke mixing with fog in the area. 

About 5,500 acres have burned, destroying about a dozen homes. No injuries have been reported but several pets and wild animals have been killed.

On Sunday, firefighters were focusing their efforts south of County Road 630, north of the bombing range and also north of Highway 60. 

Landowner Alan Akouka, whose property is adjacent to the River Ranch Hunt Club, checked out his organic crops Sunday. He believes he lost 95 acres of land to the fire. On his land, Akouka harvested around 50 different edible plants including blackberries, wild guavas, and honey.

Akouka was on the property when the brush fire ripped through the area Wednesday.

“It was probably the most unique, terrifying unusual, cataclysmic thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Akouka explained. “This dry grass around here, when it lift up you could actually see the fire itself and hitting the grass and exploding like some kind of a bomb.”

Akouka believes his torched land is now going to cause him to lose around a quarter of a million dollars.

“We got to see if it comes back or not. But as far as this year, we probably lost a quarter of a million dollars in produce, and honey opportunities and saw palmettos and blackberries, blueberries, beauty berries,” said Akouka.

“I don’t even like to talk about it to tell you the truth. Every time I do I get mad. It’s just life. Life has its ups and its down. You got to take them and make the best of them."

The Florida Forest Service plans to be remain in Polk County for several more days—until the Frostproof fire is 100 percent contained. Investigators are still looking into what sparked the flames.

Interactive map: Brush fire locations