NAPLES, Fla., April 1 (UPI) -- Brush fires forced the closure Monday of more than 75 miles of highway in South Florida because of severely reduced visibility, officials said.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed Alligator Alley and Interstate 75 in both directions between mile marker 101 in Collier County and mile marker 23 at U.S. 27 in Broward County, the Naples (Fla.) Daily News reported.
Also closed was State Road 29 between Oil Well Road on the north end and U.S. 41 East, the FHP said.
A brush fire in Big Cypress National Preserve forced the FHP to close the highways, officials said.
The fire, which has burned about 20,000 acres, was 40 percent contained as of Sunday afternoon, said Ryan Stubblebine, a spokesman for Big Cypress National Preserve.
Dry weather has led to the recent brush fires, the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times reported.
The FHP said there fires burning in Hillsborough, Hernando and Polk counties on Monday morning.
