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More than 100 wildfires burning in Florida
Florida wildfires: Rain brings brief relief
Gov. Scott praises wildfire recovery efforts 01:11
Story highlights
- Scattered showers bring some relief
- Officials caution fire threat isn't over
(CNN)
Scattered
showers are giving an assist to firefighters battling wildfires in
southwest Florida, but officials caution the threat isn't over.
More than 115 wildfires were burning in the state as of Saturday morning, the Florida Forest Service said. Nearly 30,000 acres of the Sunshine State have been scorched.
Some mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted, but many residents still can't return home.
The
rain "is giving us a little bit of opportunity to get ahead," Director
of Collier County Bureau of Emergency Services Dan Summers said. But
Summers cautioned that "doesn't mean that we're in the clear."
"It takes an awful lot of water to put a fire out this big," Summers said.
FEMA
has approved two fire management assistance grants to aid the response
in Polk and Lee counties, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said.
"We
are continuing to closely monitor these wildfires and do everything we
can to ensure our firefighters and first responders have all the
resources they need to protect our communities," Scott said.
"As
these wildfires continue, there are people who woke up this morning to
find their homes destroyed and their lives completely changed," Scott
said. "This is an incredibly heartbreaking and challenging time, and I
am encouraged to see our entire state working together to help one
another."
Southwest Florida
Thirteen homes in Lee County have been damaged or destroyed by a 400-acre wildfire, Scott said.
More
than 2,000 homes had been under a mandatory evacuation order in the
county, which includes Fort Myers on the southern part of Florida's Gulf
Coast, but the order was lifted with the fire 95% contained by Saturday
afternoon.
Further south in
neighboring Collier County, firefighters were making progress on a
5,500-acre fire near the Golden Gate Estates section of Naples. ItIt was
about 20% contained, Scott said.
The
mandatory evacuation zone includes more than 6,000 structures. Flames
have damaged or destroyed several vehicles and nine homes, the governor
said.
Friday, the governor deployed
the state's National Guard, including five UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters,
to help firefighters mitigate the massive wildfire, which started
Thursday.
Central Florida
A brush fire burns in Polk County on Friday.
A 700-acre wildfire burning in Polk County was about 60% contained as of Saturday afternoon, Scott said.
The
mandatory evacuation of about 800 homes in Indian Lake Estates, a golf
and fishing community near Lakeland, had been lifted, state officials
said.
Flames destroyed at least one business by Saturday.
An aerial view shows another wildfire in Polk County.
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