TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida could be on track for a record-shattering year of wildfires after nearly 2,000 blazes have scorched the state so far, forcing evacuations and causing millions of dollars in damages.
From the Georgia border to the Everglades, wildfires have burned more than 120,000 acres — an area four times larger than Disney World — as of Sunday. Dozens of wildfires, fueled by the state’s most intense drought in decades, are still actively burning statewide. The droughts have put some areas under stringent water use restrictions, while wildfires have caused 49 of the state’s 67 counties to institute burn bans as of Tuesday.
And Florida officials are bracing for more.
“Typical year, we have [2,200] to 2,400 fires in a whole year, and we’re almost there already,” Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan said. “And we’re just now coming into May.”
