blank

Voice of America ®

Trusted Source of News & Information since 1942

About VOA | Contact VOA News

  • Monday, 23 November 2009
  • Latest News:

News RSS Feeds RSS Feed

Wildfires in Florida Force Hundreds of Evacuations

Share This

Wildfires in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and shut down a number of major roads.

Florida officials say the fires started Sunday and engulfed a combined area of nearly 11 square kilometers in two counties, Brevard and Volusia.

One fire in Brevard County covered more than eight square kilometers alone.

Officials say about 500 homes were under mandatory evacuations, while people in another 200 homes were asked to leave voluntarily.

The Florida Division of Forestry warns that windy and dry conditions are making it difficult to contain the fires.

At one point, the smoke from the fires was so thick it forced officials to shut down Interstate 95, a major north-south highway. That highway was reopened Monday.

Investigators think some of the fires may have been set intentionally.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

Welcome to the new VOANews.com


We'd like to hear what you think of the site - please e-mail us: NewDesign@VOANews.com

Video Features

From the Newsroom

From the Newsroom

Afghan Politics - Analysis by Gary Thomas

More »

GoingGreen

Going Green

Watch: The United States debates cutting its carbon dioxide emissions.

More »

Money in Motion

Money in Motion

Watch: Will the declining dollar remain the world's reserve currency?

More »

Now You Know

Now You Know

Watch: A look at the origin and history of the Internet.

More »

The Link

The Link

Have you discovered a Web link you'd like to share with the world?

More »

Most Popular Articles

Special Reports

VOA Blogs

Most E-mailed Articles