Federal wildfire officials are warning Monday morning that drivers on U.S. 41 between Naples and Miami will need to slow down and take extra caution as smoke from a blaze approaching 10,000 acres in the Big Cypress National Preserve continues to burn.
Residents of Ochopee and surrounding communities including Everglades City and Chokoloskee should expect increasing impacts from the wildfire smoke Monday and into Monday night, said Riki Hoopes, a National Park Service wildfire information officer.
U.S. 41 is also known as Old Tamiami Trail in that area.
Wildland firefighters are entering their second week of around-the-clock work battling the blaze deep inside the huge federal preserve.
Ground-based tractors teams are cutting firelines through the woods, helicopter crews are using so-called Bambi buckets to scoop water out of lakes and ponds to drop on the hottest parts of the blaze, and federal pilots in large planes are dropping lines of fire-retardant slurry along the edges of the wildfire.
The Sandy Fire, which was started by lightning May 1 along the Oasis Trail roughy north of mile marker 48 along U.S. 41, was not contained Sunday night.
Wildland firefighters were attacking its northern flank, which is south of Interstate 75, also known as Alligator Alley, and to its south and west along U.S. 41.
Over the weekend fire crews set small, controlled fires around structures on the northern edge of the wildfire to protect several out-buildings by pre-burning the forest around them.
Hoopes said Sunday morning that a temporary decrease in the strength and movement of the wildfire allowed crews to improve fire breaks and other control lines created during previous days.
Pre-evacuation notices have been given to residents in the sparsely populated area deep inside the national preserve, but the blaze is not putting any residents at immediate risk at this time.
Ochopee has the country's smallest post office, a 61-square-foot shed that handles mail for about 900 residents including those in Everglades City some eight miles to the west.
The post office is les than an hour to the east of the Naples Grande Beach Resort.
Big Cypress National Preserve stretches over 729,000 acres in Southwest Florida and borders Everglades National Park to the south.
Closures remain in effect west of 11 Mile Road, north of U.S. 41, east of Monument Trail, and south of Mud Lake, Little Deer, Oasis Trail and Lost Dog Swamp including the southern end of The Florida Trail from the Oasis Visitor Center north to Interstate 75 at mile marker 63. This both ensures the safety of the public and allows firefighters to work without anyone in the way.
"Big Cypress" is named not due to the size of old-growth trees in the preserve, but for the huge expanses of wet prairies and marshes within it.
WGCU, NPR and PBS for Southwest FLorida, will update this story regularly throughout the day.
Timeline of the wildfire:
- Wildfire in Big Cypress prompts section of trails, roads closed
- Fire crews providing structure protection on Big Cypress blaze
- Evacuation plans in place as wildfire in Big Cypress NP spreads
- Sandy Fire in Big Cypress near Ochopee grows to 5,500 acres
-
Uncontrolled Sandy Fire grows to 8,400 acres despite weeklong containment efforts
As the fire continues to move to the south, smoke impacts become more likely on U.S. 41 and travelers were urged to use caution in the area.
Phase One of the Sandy Wildfire Evacuation Plan remains in effect. Nearby residents will be notified by fire managers if the evacuation phase is upgraded.
- Phase One: Residents within evacuation zone are notified of potential fire impacts and advised to create defensible space around home if possible.
- Phase Two: Residents within evacuation zone should be packed and ready to evacuate. Residents with preexisting health conditions will be encouraged to leave at this time.
- Phase Three: Residents will be advised to leave as fire threat is imminent.
Closures remain in effect west of 11 Mile Road, north of U.S. 41, east of Monument Trail, and south of Mud Lake, Little Deer, Oasis Trail and Lost Dog to ensure the safety of the public and allow firefighters to work without impediment.
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