Florida Wildfires Seen From Space
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Florida's raging wildfires. CREDIT: NASA Earth Observatory. |
A NASA satellite captured an image of the heavy smoke rising from the raging wildfires in eastern Florida.
NASA's Aqua satellite detected three large fires burning in eastern Florida on Feb. 28. All three wildfires burned out of control and threatened homes, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The largest of the fires is the Iron Horse Fire, burning in northern Brevard County. The fire has burned more than 17,000 acres of land as of Thursday morning (March 3), Annaleasa Winter, of the Florida Division of Forestry, told CNN. The fire was fueled by 20 mph winds (40 kph), but was 25 percent contained. More than 150 people are fighting the fire.
Dense clouds of smoke from the fire forced officials to close parts of U.S. Highway 1 and Interstate 95, according to news reports.
The fire had destroyed one home and was burning toward more densely populated areas, reported CNN.
A supervisor with the Florida Division of Forestry named the fire "Iron Horse" after a popular Bike Week bar in Ormond Beach, Fla., according to news reports. The fire is not near the bar, but the supervisor said the fire would likely keep him away from Bike Week, which begins Friday.
In the north, the Keller Fire also closed roads, including Highway 1 and Interstate 95. The smaller Ferry-7 fire burned primarily in National Forests.
The cause of the fires is not yet known.
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