Fla. wildfires burn more than 25,000 acres

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 10 (UPI) -- More than 50 wildfires in Florida have consumed more than 25,000 acres, and firefighters were getting little help from the weather on Wednesday.

"If we don't get any significant rainfall, we can expect to have similar fires to the ones we've been seeing, with a lot of homes threatened," John Saddler, a prescribed fire manager with Florida's Division of Forestry, told the Palm Beach Post.

Parts of Interstate 95 have been closed intermittently for weeks because of the longest-running blaze, a 6,500-acre mid-state fire that began April 21, the Miami Herald reported.

The forecast for the peninsula's east coast Tuesday night called for little more than 1/10 of an inch of rain, the report said.

Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency Monday and deployed aviation units from the Florida National Guard to help battle the blazes. Bush called the state "a tinder box right now."

Of an estimated 2,400 fires recorded since Jan. 1, at least 413 were intentionally set, forestry officials said.