Wildfires force evacuations in central Florida
State of emergency declared as wildfires force evacuations in Florida
Daytona Beach: Hundreds of residents along Florida's Atlantic Coast were ordered to evacuate on Monday as firefighters struggled to contain wildfires burning in dry, windy weather.
Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency as dry, windy weather fueled several wildfires on Florida's central Atlantic coast, destroying more than a dozen homes.
Authorities are looking at arson as a possible cause of the blaze and one person may be responsible, said Ernie Dieble, a Palm Bay arson investigator.
Meanwhile, helicopters dropped water on parts of a fire that had burned between 500 and 600 acres in Daytona Beach, said Division of Forestry spokesman Timber Weller.
Authorities ordered about 500 homes in the northwest part of the city to be evacuated. In neighbouring Brevard County, a 2,000-acre fire destroyed two homes in Malabar, firefighters said.
