Wind fuels Lehigh Acres brush fire

Author: Matt Dougherty
Published: Updated:

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- Strong winds and dry air fueled at least two fires in Southwest Florida Thursday.

Luckily, fire crews were able to quickly put out a fire along the 1400 block of McKinley Avenue in Lehigh Acres.

Investigators aren’t sure what sparked the fire.

The battalion chief says as soon as a column of smoke starts rising above the tree tops, he can pretty much gurantee it’s a fire that’s going to take off.

Thursday’s wind speeds of up to around 20 miles an hour in Lehigh Acres can held spread a brush fire.

Anything from a cigarette butt to the hot exhaust pipe of a car parked in tall grass can set one off.

Burning is not allowed currently because of the red flag warning for low humidity weather with strong winds.

Those winds are expected to calm down in a few hours, the warning will be lifted at 7 p.m.

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