Brush-Fire Smoke Blamed for Florida Pileups

Smoke wafting over a rural road from a brush fire combined with fog to cause a string of crashes involving 26 vehicles Tuesday morning, police said. Six people were injured.

Feb. 15, 2005

ST. CLOUD, Fla. (AP) -- Smoke wafting over a rural road from a brush fire combined with fog to cause a string of crashes involving 26 vehicles Tuesday morning, police said. Six people were injured.

Ten accidents happened within about 15 minutes. The most serious involved four tractor-trailers and two other vehicles, said Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller.

One woman was trapped in her van for an hour after she ran into a truck.

Miller said the smoke came from a fire set by a landowner to clear undergrowth. It mixed with fog near St. Cloud, about 20 miles south of Orlando, to reduce visibility.

The smoke lifted about 2 1/2 hours later.