Florida wildfire closes portion of I-95

Florida wildfire closes portion of I-95 Firefighters battling a central Florida blaze were scrambling Wednesday to get ahead of gusty winds that could hamper efforts to battle the fire, which has burned more than 16,000 acres and closed a stretch of Interstate 95 Wednesday.

The fire, which began Monday in northern Brevard and southern Volusia counties, has destroyed a mobile home, several outbuildings and several camp structures, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.

More than 150 personnel have been deployed to help fight the blaze, called the Iron Horse Fire, according to the Florida Division of Forestry.

The fire is 25% contained, said Cliff Frazier, a wildfire mitigation specialist with the Florida Division of Forestry, and has burned 16,144 acres.

Firefighters were making progress on a second blaze that has burned close to 2,000 acres in St. Johns County, south of State Road 206 on Interstate 95 below St. Augustine, officials said.

Kimberley Prosser of the Brevard County Fire Department said the agency sent two emergency strike teams as a precaution to two communities near the fire, Lake Harney Woods in Volusia County and Blountes Ridge in Brevard County.

A voluntary evacuation in the city of Mims was lifted Tuesday evening and shelters were closed, according to the Brevard County Office of Emergency Management. The agency reported a Brevard firefighter suffered second-degree burns to the face.

The cause of both fires is not yet known.