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8,000 Acres Scorched Click10.com
FLORIDA
CITY, Fla. -- U.S. 1 is closed again after a raging brush fire gained strength
Wednesday afternoon.
The fire has burned about 8,200 acres so far. U.S.
1 south of Florida City and Card Sound Road had both been closed, but Card Sound
Road reopened Wednesday around 1 p.m., as did U.S. 1. But around 4 p.m., U.S.
1 was shut down again.
"Division of Forestry officials were taking a look
at the weather pattern changes, and they noticed that the weather was going to
shift. And they told us to be prepared to close down Card Sound and U.S. 1," Jim
Underwood of the Department of Transportation said.
Division of Forestry
officials are fighting fire with fire, using modified all-terrain vehicles (pictured,
left) to light backfires.
"We were able to burn off of the road by setting
some backfires and burning all of that vegetation that otherwise could take another
day of burning alongside the road," Gary Lewis of the Department Of Forestry said.
Officials have said that they are keeping an eye on the Everglades Youth
Camp, a facility about two miles south of Florida City. If conditions worsen,
they may evacuate the area.
Frustrated Motorists
Around
10 a.m. Wednesday, workers shut down Card Sound Road, sealing off the only remaining
highway leading to the Keys and leaving many motorists frustrated. However, by
1 p.m., the road reopened.
"I was picking up some bricks this morning,"
Steve Bard said. "My business is down in Key Largo; my children are down there.
I just need to get home."
One man caught up in the gridlock wasn't traveling
by car -- he was on a bike.
"I'm really disappointed; (this is) my annual
bicycle trip," Willie Crocker (pictured, right) said. Crocker said that he'd wait
awhile to see if the road is reopened.
Many tourists, looking forward
to some time in the Keys, were also turned away.
Fire Facts
The
fire is immense, having consumed 8,200 acres of land, or roughly 11 square miles.
The city of Coral Gables is only 12.5 square miles in area. The city of
Miami Beach is only 7 square miles.
Before the blaze is extinguished,
it is expected to scorch even more land.
Fire Near Metro Zoo
Hotspots
near Metro Zoo have firefighters on high alert.
A brush fire near the
zoo that crews put out Tuesday flared up again.
The fire is now contained,
the zoo is open and the animals are in no danger.
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