A brush fire consumed several acres on St. Croix and spread to the edge of private lawns in Tide Village before firefighters got it contained and it died out late Friday afternoon. The fire burned several acres along the road by the gas station outside of Tide Village, according to a witness at the scene.

The fire may have started around 3 p.m. and "it seemed to peter out around 4 p.m.," said Justin Shatwell, who saw the fire from his home. Firefighters appeared to focus on preventing it from spreading to homes and yards, letting it burn itself out, he said.

"I could see a firefighter check the burned area," apparently to see if it was thoroughly out, he said. By sunset, the fire appeared completely out, according to Shatwell.

Calls to the V.I. Fire Service for details had not been returned as of 9 p.m. Friday.