[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/1998-florida-wildfires-wikipedia\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/1998-florida-wildfires-wikipedia\/","headline":"1998 Florida wildfires – Wikipedia","name":"1998 Florida wildfires – Wikipedia","description":"1998 wildfies in Florida 1998 Florida wildfires 1998 Florida wildfires Cost >$300,000,000 in timber alone. [1] Date(s) May to July","datePublished":"2014-04-06","dateModified":"2014-04-06","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/author\/lordneo\/#Person","name":"lordneo","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/author\/lordneo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9645c498c9701c88b89b8537773dd7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9645c498c9701c88b89b8537773dd7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Florida_1998_Wildfires_Map.jpg\/300px-Florida_1998_Wildfires_Map.jpg","url":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Florida_1998_Wildfires_Map.jpg\/300px-Florida_1998_Wildfires_Map.jpg","height":"251","width":"300"},"url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/1998-florida-wildfires-wikipedia\/","about":["Wiki"],"wordCount":3153,"articleBody":"1998 wildfies in Florida1998 Florida wildfires1998 Florida wildfiresCost>$300,000,000 in timber alone. [1]Date(s)May to July 1998[1]Burned area500,000 acresCauseLightningBuildings destroyed150Deaths0The 1998 Florida wildfires, sometimes referred to as the Florida Firestorm, was a wildfire event involving several thousand separate woodland and mixed urban-rural wildfires which wrought severe damage during the summer months of 1998.  Wildfires sparked mainly by lightning threatened to converge into single, vast blazes, crossed natural firebreaks such as rivers and interstate highways, and demanded an unprecedented suppression response of firefighting resources from across the country.  Regular activities such as Fourth of July celebrations, sporting events, tourism, and daily life were profoundly interrupted for millions of residents and visitors in the northeastern part of the state.Table of ContentsBackground[edit]Response[edit]Aftermath[edit]References[edit]Background[edit]Florida had historically been considered as an area of lower susceptibility for wildfires, due to its high humidity and rainfall levels.[1] An El Nino during the winter of 1998 produced above-average rainfall, which enabled extensive growth of underbrush and vegetation in the state’s forests.  In early April, however, the rains came to an abrupt halt, and the ensuing drought lasted until July.[2]  These months of continuing dry conditions saw the drought index rise to 700 (out of 800), indicating wildfire potential similar to that usually found in western states.[1]Exacerbating the wildfire risk was the fact that development in Florida had proceeded with many new communities being built on former rural, wooded properties, often with heavy vegetation within feet of structures, and without municipal water systems and fire hydrants.[1]    One of over 100 burned homesThe fires began in mid-May, most started by lightning strikes.  What rain came with the thunderstorms was inadequate to prevent or stop the fires.[1]  In late May and early June, numerous separate fires were igniting in Brevard, Osceola, Orange, Seminole, St. John’s, Flagler, and Volusia counties, near the communities of Flagler Estates, Daytona Beach, and Palm Coast.[3]  The Big Bend region also experienced major fires in the Apalachicola and Osceola National Forests.[2] With dry conditions persisting and alarm over the fires growing, on June 7, Governor Lawton Chiles declared a state of emergency.[2] By mid-June, fires burning near I-95 forced its closure in the area. During the middle two weeks of June, each day saw the fires grow larger and everyday life more interrupted, and on June 25, in consideration of the upcoming Independence Day celebration, the Governor declared all sales and possession of fireworks illegal.[4]  Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27 saw some abatement of conditions with the arrival of rain, and Monday the 28th, Federal agencies brought in firefighting resources including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.  By July 1, however, increasing winds once again worsened conditions,[4] and the firebreak of I-95 was soon jumped as embers were blown eastward from fires burning in woodlands west of the interstate.[2] By July 4, 135 miles of I-95 from Jacksonville to Titusville was closed,[4] and Division of Forestry models indicated that several fires could merge into one conflagration stretching from Daytona to St. Augustine.[3] The entire population of Flagler County, some 35,000 residents, was ordered to evacuate.[5] The Pepsi 400, usually held at Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July weekend, was postponed.^ “CNN: Florida’s Wildfires Run Up Huge Tab”. July 4, 1998. Retrieved March 26, 2020.^ “1998 07\/18”. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020."},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki19\/1998-florida-wildfires-wikipedia\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"1998 Florida wildfires – Wikipedia"}}]}]