Wildfires burn in Southern Florida

The wildfire has scorched 36,000 acres of the Everglades National Park, the largest in a series of recent blazes in Florida.

The fire in the southern Florida park of hiking trails and campgrounds
was about 30 percent contained Monday, said Nina Barrow of the Southern
Area InterAgency Management Blue Teams.

"We are making some
progress on the fire, and we may get some help with the weather today,"
Barrow said. "Forecasts today said we have our best chance of rain in
the next week or so -- a 30 percent chance -- but we also have a chance
of lightning."

Monday's weather could help or hamper
firefighters as they scramble to douse the blaze raging across tens of
thousands of acres of parkland. Thunderstorms and pea-sized hail could
provide moisture to aid in firefighting efforts, but the National
Weather Service also is predicting windy conditions, with gusts up to
45 mph, that could spread the flames.

In the Everglades National Park, almost 36,000 acres have burned. The blaze is 30 percent contained, and no structures are said to be in danger.

The majority of fires burned around Lake Okeechobee in Glades County and on the coast in Brevard County, where a smoky haze was expected to linger throughout the day.

In the area around Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Highway Patrol used electronic highway signs to warn people about lingering smoke, and areas northeast of the lake were continuing to experience haze from the fires, said Division of Forestry spokeswoman Melissa Yunas.

In Brevard County, fires were 75 percent contained, said State Division of Forestry spokesman Todd Schroeder.