By
The Associated Press
LAKE CITY, Fla. - A 7,300-acre wildfire burning out of control closed a 10-mile section of Interstate 4 yesterday and threatened hundreds of homes.
The wind-driven fire near Polk City in central Florida had grown overnight from 2,000 acres and jumped to the south side of I-4, a heavily traveled route between Orlando and Tampa.
"This is very intense and erratic fire behavior," said Paul Palmiotto, assistant chief of forest protection at the Florida Division of Forestry.
No injuries or damage to homes or structures were reported.
Residents of at least 30 homes who were told to evacuate Saturday night returned yesterday morning. But the fire threatened more homes and the Polk County Correctional Institute yesterday, fire officials said.
South of Orlando, firefighters mopped up after a fire that burned 3,000 acres in Okeechobee and Indian River counties Saturday. That blaze burned power lines and forced the evacuation of a fish camp near Blue Cypress Lake.
As many as 20 fires believed set by an arsonist burned in the Osceola National Forest near Lulu. The fires resembled others set in the area a couple of days ago, Palmiotto said.
Three other fires burned north of Polk City, including a 3,825-acre fire on the Lake and Polk county lines.
