May 9, 2006 1:08 pm US/Eastern
Brush Fire Battle Turns Into State Of Emergency
NEW SMYRNA BEACH (CBS4/AP) ―
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.
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.
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.
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.
More than 2,200 wildfires have burned over 44,000 acres in Florida since Jan. 1, according to the state Division of Forestry.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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