Fires Still Raging in Parts of Florida
POLK CITY, Fla. — Wildfires destroyed several homes and closed part of a key east-west highway Tuesday as hundreds of firefighters scrambled to contain the blazes. No injuries were reported.
A fire in southwest Florida’s Lee County destroyed four homes. Farther north, an 11,000-acre blaze near Polk City sent dense smoke streaming across central Florida and forced the evacuation of about 30 homes.
“It’s just a mess. It’s scary,†said Gov. Jeb Bush, who toured the area Monday. “We’re in for a bad season.â€
Fire officials said a 10-mile stretch of heavily traveled Interstate 4, which connects Tampa, Orlando and Daytona Beach, could be closed through the weekend.
Experts say a drought and recent freezes mean conditions for fires are worse than in 1998, when blazes burned 500,000 acres statewide.
Just north of the interstate and only a few miles from Polk City, billowing clouds of black smoke from burning palmettos contrasted against dense clouds of white smoke from burning cypress and grass. Firefighters said the best they could hope for is to contain the fire as it races through the Green Swamp.
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