MALABAR, Fla.(AP)
Brush fires forced residents to flee more than 100 homes in
central Florida on Saturday and closed a major interstate,
authorities said.
A fire near Cocoa had burned more than 100 acres and forced
evacuations of about 100 to 200 homes, Brevard County Fire and
Rescue spokesman Orlando Dominguez said.
Heavy smoke from another fire in the Brevard community of
Malabar forced authorities to close part of Interstate 95, the
major East Coast corridor.
A fire in Volusia County has burned between 500 and 600 acres
and caused more road closures and home evacuations, state Division
of Forestry spokesman Timber Weller said.
Weller wasn't sure how many residents had been forced out of
that neighborhood, which is near Daytona Beach. He said 20-mph
winds and dry conditions were challenging the fire crews.
"Control is extremely difficult, and there's basically
several small subdivisions in the area and fires burning, in some
cases, very close to the homes," Weller said.
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