State Road 50 from I-95 to the Orange County line was expected to remain closed all Monday night, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today.
Smokey conditons were expected Tuesday morning, hampering traffic between Brevard County and Orlando.
With smoke and fire edging towards the Great Outdoors RV Golf Resort, the Florida Highway Patrol asked its approximately 1,400 residents to voluntarily evacuate. They had also evacuated last night and returned Monday morning, according to Florida Today.
Thick smoke from a massive brush fire in the St. John's Wildlife Refuge just north of State Road 50 were visible from the RV park, which sits about half a mile from I-95. Firefighters were lighting backfires to stop the blaze from jumping the smoke-filled highway.
Motorists in the area are urged to use alternate routes.
A 1,000-acre brush fire had closed many roads, injecting confusion and congestion into the traditional Memorial Day traffic problems.
"Stay out of the woods, be careful and watch the wind," said Dennis Neterer, assistant chief with Brevard County Fire-Rescue.
Several people living near Fox Lake Road, west of I-95, voluntarily evacuated Sunday to escape the smoke.
"I elected to go, kind of like evacuating from a hurricane," said Mike Steinacher, a resident of Great Outdoors RV Park, who took with him an overnight bag and important papers.
The fire broke out at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, and officials believe it was caused by a lightning strike Friday.
"There's no information that it was manmade," said Neterer.
Despite an absence of injuries and property damage, some residents were worried.
"I live in my motor coach, and I can't get to it," said Tom Baugher, who watched the fire through binoculars after returning from visiting a friend
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2006 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
