COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A large fire in the western Everglades near Alligator Alley has burned through 25,000 acres — a larger area than the cities of Sarasota and Naples combined.
Due to strong northerly winds, the smoke from the “National Fire” has been moving south. But overnight and on Wednesday the winds will start to shift out of the south — meaning the smoke will begin to blow northward.
25,000-acre wildfire burning in swamp preserve along Alligator Alley
Our latest high-resolution model shows smoke moving south overnight and then turning to the northeast on Wednesday, impacting Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties by mid-late morning and then onto the Orlando-St. Cloud/Space Coast area by afternoon.
The smoke then circles back into South Florida later at night.
This is the biggest Florida fire of the year so far, but many more are likely. That’s because Florida’s current drought is the worst in 25 years. The current Keetch Byram Drought Index is near the top of the category south of I-4, between 650-700, which means the ground is extremely dry…