Florida wildfire grows, closes major highway

POLK CITY, Florida (CNN) -- A 10,000-acre wildfire on Monday kept part of a major central Florida highway closed for a second day.

"It's pretty bad," said a Florida Highway Patrol dispatcher, describing how traffic was backed up.

A 10-mile section of Interstate 4 remained closed as heavy smoke forced drivers to make detours in traveling between Orlando and Tampa.

Sarah Stewart of the Florida Division of Forestry's Lakeland office said containment had dropped to 20 percent, down from 30 percent earlier in the day.

About 30 homes were evacuated. Youthful offenders and about 40 older inmates with respiratory problems were moved from the Polk Correctional Institution to jails in nearby counties.

No injuries or home damages have been reported.

Overnight, crews tried to secure the western side of the fire, in anticipation of easterly winds and low humidity, the Division of Forestry said.

Fallen trees and other debris cover the road in some areas of the interstate from U.S. Highway 27 and Highway 33.

Crews and equipment from throughout the state are helping to fight the blaze, and helicopters have been used to dump water on the flames.

The blaze, aggravated by drought, is centered 50 miles northeast of Tampa and 35 miles southwest of Orlando.

Another Florida fire that started at 12:05 p.m. EST on Monday in the River Ranch area in southeast Polk County burned 325 acres. It was brought under control quickly.

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Florida Division of Forestry
Florida Highway Patrol
Special Places: Florida's Green Swamp

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