Weather & Science
Deep Freeze and Drought Are Fueling a Massive Florida Wildfire
An area larger than Manhattan is on fire near the Everglades, sending plumes of smoke swirling across southern Florida.
Satellite images show the large smoke plume rising from the National Fire on Wednesday.
Photographer: CIRA RAMMBFirefighters in southwest Florida are battling an expansive blaze on a federal nature preserve as an unusually intense winter drought grips the state.
The National Fire has burned more than 25,700 acres — an area larger than Manhattan — since Sunday in the Big Cypress National Preserve south of Naples. The region is a popular tourist destination known as “Alligator Alley” for its plentiful wildlife.