Fire that led to fatal Interstate 75 crash may have been set by arsonist
Photographer: WKMG, CNN
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 01/29/2012
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida officials are investigating whether an arsonist set the fire that caused the smoke that led to a deadly traffic crash near Gainesville.
State forestry spokeswoman Ludie Bond said that the fire started Saturday. Officials know it wasn't a controlled burn or caused by lightning, so it was either started accidentally or intentionally set. Smoke from the fire mixed with fog to cause multi-vehicle pileups on Interstate 75 early Sunday that killed at least nine people.
Bond said the fire has burned 62 acres of prairie and is contained, but it continues to burn. She said a similar fire has been burning in the area since mid-November because the vegetation is so thick and deep.
She said no homes are currently threatened.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
PRINTFeatured Stories
-
Latest mugshots: Palm Beach County
Click here to see the latest mugshots in Palm Beach County
-
Latest mugshots: St. Lucie County
Click here to see the latest mugshots in St. Lucie County.
-
PHOTOS: Celebrities who died too young
Celebrities who died too young include Whitney, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Tupac, and Phil Hartman.
- What's Trending Now...
Latest News Stories
-
Waiting to find out the Powerball winner
The lucky ticket was bought sometime Saturday or earlier at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills
-
Tornadoes strike several states, 1 dead
-
U.S. gas prices jump 11 cents in 2 weeks
-
Family receives new home, Boynton Beach
-
2 FBI agents killed in training accident
-
Buckle up this week
Scripps TV Station Group © 2013 The E.W. Scripps Co.