Rain Offers Short-Term Relief For Wildfires
Bush Declares State Of Emergency
POSTED: Tuesday, May 9, 2006
UPDATED: 1:19 pm EDT May 9,
2006
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Rain in parts of Central Florida Tuesday provided some help with brush fires a day after Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency over blazes that have scorched more than 8,000 acres in recent days.
IMAGES: Orange County | Volusia County | Brevard County
Smoke from wildfires in Volusia and Brevard counties cleared up enough Tuesday for parts of Interstate 95 to reopen to traffic, but forecasters didn't expect rain showers to help calm the flames much over the long term. Lightning strikes could possibly spark more flames in the area where fires have consumed more than 8,000 acres and destroyed three homes, officials said. The rain falling in some areas was expected to total up to a quarter of an inch through the early afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt said. "It's not a lot of rainfall. It may temporarily improve the situation for a day or two. Beyond a day or two it may not have any consequence," Spratt said. City and fire officials in the area hoped the rain would help, New Smyrna Beach spokeswoman Shannon Lewis said. But she added: "We still have significant wildfire conditions and need a tremendous amount of rain to get back to normal levels." Parts of I-95 have been closed intermittently for several days because of smoke that blanketed highways and contributed to collisions that killed four people. The highway was reopened early Tuesday in Brevard and Volusia counties, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said. On Monday, Gov. Jeb Bush called in the Florida National Guard to help fight the wildfires, declaring a state of emergency. Officials are tracking about 50 active wildfires throughout the water-parched state, and Bush said lightning was probably not to blame for most blazes. "The likelihood is most of these fires have been created by either negligence or people doing harm," Bush said. The governor deployed aviation units from the Florida National Guard, and met with some of the 155 firefighters working to contain a fire in New Smyrna Beach that has consumed about 1,300 acres since Sunday and destroyed three homes. "We want to make sure that the residents of these communities are safe and that we isolate these fires as soon as possible," Bush said. "We are a tinder box right now. We had a little bit of rain but not enough to give people assurances that we are not going to have more fires." About 1,000 residents were ordered to evacuate Sunday in New Smyrna Beach as the fire approached their homes. Avia Toney was relieved Monday to find her house spared. She fled the neighborhood only when she saw fire approaching through the woods across a nearby fairway. "It was right at the edge of the woods," she said. "Ashes were falling. It was black and ugly." Neighbor Mary Bradfield took her cat, Betsy, to safety at a friend's house, but her husband, Dick, refused to evacuate. "I didn't want to lose my home," he said Monday. "If it got really dangerous, I would have left." The fire was about 70 percent contained early Tuesday, but authorities warned it was far from under control. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries. "There's a lot of fuel all the way around the edge of this fire. If the wind changes, you can have fire again, fast," said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson. Portions of State Road 80 and U.S. 27 in western Palm Beach County were closed for three hours Monday morning after smoke from brush fires burning in Broward County settled with fog over the roadways. The low visibility contributed to four crashes that killed two people and injured 19 passengers on a bus, authorities said. More than 2,200 wildfires have burned over 44,000 acres in Florida since Jan. 1, according to the state Division of Forestry.
A helicopter tour pilot in the area spotted the flames and reported the flare-up east of Interstate 4 at the Central Florida Parkway on Monday night.Authorities closed Exit 71 off Central Florida Parkway because of the fire, Local 6 News reported. The road was reopened Monday night at 11 p.m. Sky 6 helicopter pilot Dan McCarthy said flames from the fire jumped the Central Florida Parkway at one point.
IMAGES: New Orange County Fire
MAP: Fire Location
"Stay away from this area," McCarthy said as the fire burned. "I-4 is becoming a parking lot, as you can imagine." The Central Florida Parkway westbound on I-4 is shut down. I-4 eastbound on the Central Parkway is shut down and Westwood Boulevard is shut down."Firefighters said the blaze was fully contained but Westwood Boulevard remained closed to traffic early Tuesday.No structures were damaged.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
IMAGES: Orange County | Volusia County | Brevard CountySmoke from wildfires in Volusia and Brevard counties cleared up enough Tuesday for parts of Interstate 95 to reopen to traffic, but forecasters didn't expect rain showers to help calm the flames much over the long term. Lightning strikes could possibly spark more flames in the area where fires have consumed more than 8,000 acres and destroyed three homes, officials said. The rain falling in some areas was expected to total up to a quarter of an inch through the early afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt said. "It's not a lot of rainfall. It may temporarily improve the situation for a day or two. Beyond a day or two it may not have any consequence," Spratt said. City and fire officials in the area hoped the rain would help, New Smyrna Beach spokeswoman Shannon Lewis said. But she added: "We still have significant wildfire conditions and need a tremendous amount of rain to get back to normal levels." Parts of I-95 have been closed intermittently for several days because of smoke that blanketed highways and contributed to collisions that killed four people. The highway was reopened early Tuesday in Brevard and Volusia counties, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said. On Monday, Gov. Jeb Bush called in the Florida National Guard to help fight the wildfires, declaring a state of emergency. Officials are tracking about 50 active wildfires throughout the water-parched state, and Bush said lightning was probably not to blame for most blazes. "The likelihood is most of these fires have been created by either negligence or people doing harm," Bush said. The governor deployed aviation units from the Florida National Guard, and met with some of the 155 firefighters working to contain a fire in New Smyrna Beach that has consumed about 1,300 acres since Sunday and destroyed three homes. "We want to make sure that the residents of these communities are safe and that we isolate these fires as soon as possible," Bush said. "We are a tinder box right now. We had a little bit of rain but not enough to give people assurances that we are not going to have more fires." About 1,000 residents were ordered to evacuate Sunday in New Smyrna Beach as the fire approached their homes. Avia Toney was relieved Monday to find her house spared. She fled the neighborhood only when she saw fire approaching through the woods across a nearby fairway. "It was right at the edge of the woods," she said. "Ashes were falling. It was black and ugly." Neighbor Mary Bradfield took her cat, Betsy, to safety at a friend's house, but her husband, Dick, refused to evacuate. "I didn't want to lose my home," he said Monday. "If it got really dangerous, I would have left." The fire was about 70 percent contained early Tuesday, but authorities warned it was far from under control. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries. "There's a lot of fuel all the way around the edge of this fire. If the wind changes, you can have fire again, fast," said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson. Portions of State Road 80 and U.S. 27 in western Palm Beach County were closed for three hours Monday morning after smoke from brush fires burning in Broward County settled with fog over the roadways. The low visibility contributed to four crashes that killed two people and injured 19 passengers on a bus, authorities said. More than 2,200 wildfires have burned over 44,000 acres in Florida since Jan. 1, according to the state Division of Forestry.
Fire Near SeaWorld
A fast-moving brush fire ignited in Orange County, Fla., near SeaWorld Orlando Monday night and forced authorities to close several roads in the area, according to Local 6 News.
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IMAGES: New Orange County Fire MAP: Fire Location "Stay away from this area," McCarthy said as the fire burned. "I-4 is becoming a parking lot, as you can imagine." The Central Florida Parkway westbound on I-4 is shut down. I-4 eastbound on the Central Parkway is shut down and Westwood Boulevard is shut down."Firefighters said the blaze was fully contained but Westwood Boulevard remained closed to traffic early Tuesday.No structures were damaged.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Previous Stories:
- May 8, 2006: Evacuees Near Brush Fire Allowed Back To Homes
- May 8, 2006: I-95 Remains Closed In Volusia
- May 8, 2006: Hurricane Debris Hinders Brush Fire Fight
- May 8, 2006: Official: 'We Don't Know What To Expect' With Fire
- May 8, 2006: Fire Grows To 1,200 Acres In Volusia
- May 8, 2006: 1,000 Evacuated, 3 Homes Destroyed By Fires
- May 8, 2006: Official: 1,000-Acre Fire Not Fully Under Control
- May 7, 2006: 2 Dead In Pileup On I-95 After Smoke Closes Road
- May 7, 2006: New Brush Fires Ignite In Central Fla.
- May 6, 2006: Fires Force Evacuations, Close Roads In Brevard, Volusia
- May 5, 2006: 800-Acre Fire In Volusia Forces Evacuation Of Homes
- May 5, 2006: Airline Smoke Scare Blamed On Brush Fires
- May 4, 2006: Beachline Reopens After Controlled Burns
- May 4, 2006: Official: Fire Flare-Ups May Continue For Weeks
- May 4, 2006: Cocoa Beach Duplex Fire Considered Suspicious
- May 4, 2006: Brush Fire Keeps Expressway Closed In Central Fla.
- May 3, 2006: Brush Fire Threatens Homes, I-95 Reopens
- May 3, 2006: Smoke, Fog Closes I-95, Beachline For 6 Hours
Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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