Firefighters Work to Contain Blazes

Firefighters and the National Guard were trying to control several fires that burned thousands of acres across Florida, while more than 20 smaller blazes smoldered throughout the state. None of the wildfires presented a serious or immediate threat to any homes or property and fire crews had several nearly contained, said Eric Ford, an official of the Florida Division of Forestry. Since the first of the year, 3,365 fires have burned nearly 120,000 acres throughout Florida. A wildfire that burned in the Bundy Lake area near Jacksonville consumed 125 acres. Some homes were evacuated and a few were slightly singed, Ford said. None, however, suffered serious structural damage.