Fire Fire Everwhere

[lighthouse]

ew might be having a repeat of the 1998 fire season

we are hot and dry
http://www.local6.com/news/9155661/detail.html

Brush Fire Prompts Evacuations; Closes I-95

POSTED: 4:43 pm EDT May 3, 2006
UPDATED: 5:22 pm EDT May 3, 2006

A brush fire in Brevard County, Fla., prompted voluntary evacuations of homes and closed a portion of Interstate 95 and the Beachline Expressway Wednesday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Authorities closed I-95 from Highway 50 to the Beachline Expressway and the Beachline was closed from east of I-95 to state Road 520, Local 6 News reported.
Earlier Closures

Earlier Wednesday, authorities reopened I- 95 and a portion of the Beachline Expressway in Orange County after smoke from smoldering brush fires mixed with fog forced authorities to close the roads for about six hours.


Both highways -- major traffic arteries -- were shut down shortly after 3 a.m. following a series of accidents involving at least 12 vehicles on the Beachline at the St. Johns River.

"We are told at exit 37, when you round the ramp, it becomes completely pitch dark," Local 6 reporter Samantha Knapp said during the closure. "There is almost no visibility across the ramp."


this one fire has burned more than 6000 acres
and it keeps on going!!



Local 6 News reported that flames were reported near homes in Port St. John.

[lighthouse]

http://www.wftv.com/news/9151406/detail.html

Beachline, I-95 Remain Closed Due To Reignited Fire

POSTED: 6:41 am EDT May 3, 2006
UPDATED: 6:16 pm EDT May 3, 2006

PORT ST. JOHN, Fla. -- The huge Brevard County fire from last week sparked up again and forced major road closures Wednesday afternoon. The Beachline is closed from 520 to I-95. I-95 is closed from SR-50 to 528. Grissom Parkway reopened late Wednesday afternoon.



Meanwhile, a separate fire forced firefighters to evacuate homes in the Port St. John area of Fay Lakes Park. Five homes along Baltimore Avenue and Adele Street were evacuated Wednesday afternoon.


Early Wednesday morning, smoke from the smoldering of that same fire blew over the Beachline and caused 19 vehicles to crash. From the air, the scene looked almost "heavenly." But the clouds were really smoke from the rekindled brushfire and underneath was an interstate lined with destruction.

One second, the visibility on the Beachline was fine. The next second, the smoke set in leaving drivers with zero visibility.

Drivers said they suddenly hit a wall of smoke and fog so thick they couldn't see ten feet in front of them. The wall appeared on the Beachline around 2:30 Wednesday morning. Nineteen cars and at least four semis all crashed. Remarkably, there were only two minor injuries.

The chain reaction crash forced the Beachline to be shut down for almost seven hours, from SR-520 to I-95. The breathing conditions were so bad, victims in the crash and people stuck in traffic had to pile into fire trucks and were driven to a Wal-Mart in Cocoa where they could breath.

[lighthouse]

http://www.news-journalonline.com/special/fire98/

Florida experienced the worst wildfires in recorded history in the summer of 1998...

At first, there were only a few brush fires. But as spring turned to summer, a sustained drought combined with record-breaking, triple-digit temperatures to turn much of Florida into a tinderbox. By early June, wildfires had begun their relentless march across Flagler County. Two weeks later, a wall of flames roared into the most populous sections of Flagler and Volusia counties.


Tens of thousands were forced to flee the fast-moving wildfires. For the first time in the state's history, an entire county -- Flagler -- was ordered evacuated. Emergency officials shut down I-95 between Jacksonville and Melbourne for several days. All July 4th fireworks displays were canceled. The Pepsi 400, one of NASCAR's biggest summer races, was postponed until October.

By the time the rains finally came, and firefighters brought the fires under control, almost 500,000 acres had been blackened and more than 300 homes destroyed.

This is the story of the disaster, from the first brush fires, through the firestorm of early July -- and the aftermath.



The Beginning
It was hot. It was dry. It was windy. Fire officials were worried. But they had no idea how bad it would be until June 7, when a small brush fire got out of control. In the matter of a few hours, the fire engulfed an entire neighborhood and consumed 23 homes. It was only the beginning of a month-long nightmare for some Floridians

[lighthouse]

The Buildup
By late June, wildfires were popping up all over Florida. Dozens of fires swepth through Volusia County on June 20, forcing hundreds to flee their homes and the shutdown of several major highways. Firefighters managed to keep the flames away from homes this time, but they were being pushed to the limit. The worst was yet to come.



Firestorm!
As the July 4th holiday approached, fire officials thought they had everything under control. They were wrong. The smoldering embers from several earlier fires, fanned by hot arid winds, erupted into fast moving firestorm. Firefighters couldn't control it and tens of thousands were evacuated from Palm Coast to Daytona Beach.

[CoreIssue]

Yeesh! May take the hurricane season to put them out.:eek:

[lighthouse]

more firs this am
might by closing schools in brevard
and ditto in volusia county
this is similiar to 1998

[lighthouse]

this IS1998 again

right now
we have a fire north of usvolusia and they are
evacuting homes
south of us osceola county -ditto

west of us sumter county

and another new one in brevard east of us
and we stll have that 7000 acre fir which started 10 days ago
and the smoke from that has caused change reaction accidents



multiple car pile ups and closed major roads for hours

[lighthouse]

http://www.local6.com/index.html

1,000 Evacuated, 3 Homes Destroyed By Fires
Road Closures Continue Monday Morning

POSTED: 7:26 pm EDT May 7, 2006
UPDATED: 7:29 am EDT May 8, 2006

More than 1,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in the New Smyrna Beach area Sunday as flames from a 1,000-acre brush fires jumped Interstate 95 and destroyed three homes, according to Local 6 News.

[lighthouse]

http://www.wftv.com/news/9173464/detail.html

» SHELTERS: Babe James Center - 201 North Myrtle Ave, New Smyrna Beach.

» ROAD CLOSURES: SR 44 is closed in both directions from I-95 to SR 415. I-95 northbound is closed from SR 442 in Edgewater to SR 421 Dunlawton exit in Port Orange. I-95 southbound is closed from Dunlawton Av to SR 44 in New Smyrna Beach due to poor visibilty. I-95 will remain closed until 10:00am. Pioneer Trail from Airport Road/Venetian Bay to Sugar Mill Drive is closed.

» EVACUATIONS: Mandatory: From State Road 44 to Pioneer Trail Road and north of the Sugar Mill subdivision and I-95 to Glencoe Road.
Voluntary: From Pioneer Trail and north of Sugar Mill subdivision to Spruce Creek.Resident east of I-95; north of SR-44; west of Glencoe Road and south of Pioneer Trail should evacuate immediately as a precautionary measure. Residents will be notified when it is safe to return to their homes, but will likely not be until at least Monday afternoon.

» HOTLINE: Citizen information lines are open. Residents may call 386-424-2113 or 386-424-2114. Citizen information lines are experiencing a large call volume and residents may experience delays. Updated information will also be posted on cable channel 99.

» CREWS: Ten local agencies and two out of town strike teams will be actively engaged in fire suppression and containment today (approximately 126 personnel). The Division of Forestry will also be bringing in additonal resources today including manpower, equipment and air support. Law enforcement agencies are also providing support.

» FIRE STATUS: The fire laid down overnight due to the humidity and is currently contained in the same general areas as Sunday night and remains at 1,000 acres.

[lighthouse]

this is only one fire of many
i95 will be closed cuz of all the accidents on this road due to smoke
2 fatalities on sunday alone
it will be closed 5-9am all week to protect people

[lighthouse]

About 12 miles of I-95 was shut down Monday morning because of smoke from other fires that began Friday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Meanwhile, a 20-mile section of I-95 in Brevard County was closed early Monday morning after smoke from smoldering brush fires blended with fog and blanketed the highway. Authorities blamed the low visibility on a five-vehicle collision that killed two people Sunday.

FHP planned to close I-95 in Brevard County from Fiske Boulevard to State Road 50 from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. until visibility is not an issue. The BeachLine, State Road 528, also will be closed from State Road 520 to U.S. 1 during the same hours.

Both roads have been shut down intermittently because brush fires in the area are burning close to the highways, FHP spokeswoman Kim Miller said.

Drivers should use an alternate route and expect delays because the fires could force closures at any time, she said.

"The hint to motorists is don't use I-95 in the next couple of days if you don't have to. We want motorists to avoid 95 from Indian River County up to Jacksonville," Miller said.

Troopers were preparing to shut down I-95 in Brevard County around 6:15 a.m. Sunday when a collision involving four trucks and a car killed two people, Miller said.

[lighthouse]

well we now have a fire in the city of orlando

[Jessie]

wow florida is getting hit hard, are you ok Lighthouse????

[lighthouse]

YES
JEB BUSH HAS DECLARED A STATE OF DISASTER
rain is coming
but it is bringing lightening
which caN ALSO START FIRES

[Jessie]

:pray: for you