As wildfires continue to burn across much of Florida, state officials report nearly 130,000 acres have been consumed so far this year. Most of burned acres are in the Everglades, where firefighters are battling a blaze that grew from 50,000 acres late last week to 100,000 by yesterday. The flames and smoke forced the closure of Interstate 75 from Ft. Lauderdale west to Naples, a distance of approximately 105 miles.
Officials hope to reopen that highway today.
Flights in and out of Miami International Airport were cancelled or delayed due to the heavy smoke yesterday. Flight operations should be back to normal this morning. This year's fires are below the 4,655 that occurred in 1998, and burned more than 481,000 acres. NWS forecasters are calling for dry conditions through at least Friday.