The possibility of dense, thick fog and smoke is the primary concern for the next several mornings, especially from 5 a.m. Staff writer Anne Geggis contributed to this report. “But for most people, at this point, it's more unpleasant than immediately health-threatening.” “We know that people who already have airway issues, need to stay indoors right now because it will aggravate that condition,” she said. Most of the patients being affected by the current conditions are people already suffering from lung issues, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Thornton said. The smoke also coincides with the time when allergies attack. In Gainesville, breathing issues have been bringing in about half a dozen extra people to North Florida Regional Medical Center's emergency room for the past few days, said Pam Thornton, director of emergency services at the hospital. The FHP has posted smoke warning signs on County Road 315 from Orange Springs to Fort McCoy and on State Road 40 east of County Road 314A.ĭrivers are cautioned to plan for alternate routes due to possible road closures. The fires are destroying the root systems of some trees, causing them to fall and creating "a safety concern for wildland firefighters," she noted.ĭue to weather conditions, the smoke is not dissipating. Such fires burn deep underground, sometimes as far as 15 feet below the surface.īond said similar fire activity and smoke could continue until the locations receive significant rainfall. She said both fire locations need ample rain to put out those fires, which are called muck fires. Ocala National Forest resident Mark Batterton, 50, and his family live near Lake Bryant, and the smoke has left the area smelling like there's "something dead out here," Batterton said last week.īond said two smoldering fires in Marion County - Farmersbay near Fort McCoy and Lake Bryant 14 near Forest Corners - are still causing the problems with morning visibility. Munroe Regional Medical Center spokesman Ryan Gerds said, however, that the hospital has not seen an increase in smoke-related illnessess. They've described a foul-smelling cloud infiltrating homes and causing many to experience breathing problems. Some Ocala National Forest residents have said the conditions in the forest are extremely smoky. “There was no actual incendiary device found on the fire scene,” she said, adding that investigators determined that it was not a natural fire.įlorida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Gina Busscher said signs warning motorists of smoke and fog were again placed on major roadways through Alachua County like U.S. In January, a brush fire on Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park caused smoke that blew west and reduced visibility on Interstate 75, resulting in a string of crashes that left 11 dead and more than 20 injured.īond said the investigation into that fire recently wrapped up but said the cause of the fire was listed as unknown. Gainesville learned all too well recently the dangers of smoke mixing with fog. The smoke factor depends on “whichever way is the wind is blowing,” Bond said. That doesn't mean the area won't be seeing smoke from that fire in the days and weeks to come, as the fire could burn for a long time. Winds have been coming out of the north, but they are expected to start blowing east today, Bond said. Though there are now 11 wildfires burning in Alachua, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion and Putnam counties, the smoke that traveled south over the weekend and on Monday came from a roughly 11,000-acre fire on the Columbia-Baker county line north of Osceola National Forest, said Ludie Bond, a spokeswoman for the Florida Forest Service. The haze of smoke from a wildfire near the Florida-Georgia border added to the typical morning grogginess for commuters Monday, but officials predicted visibility would be better today as winds shift.
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