Smoke from a brush fire in Brevard County was starting to drift toward SR-50 and I-95 which could pose a problem for drivers Thursday morning. The fire started Wednesday inside the St. Johns wildlife refuge about 2 miles north of highway 50 near Fox Lake Road.
The fire continued to burn in the river marsh area, an area not accessible to fire fighters. So far the fire has not threatened any homes, but the concern is the wind. If the winds shift they could blow smoke across SR-50 and I-95 while drivers are headed to work.
The orange flames cut like a knife through the dark wildlife refuge. Wednesday night the fire line grew, burning through the palmettos during the evening hours as the winds blew east. Once the sun went down the winds calmed a bit, but the glow from the fire could still be seen from miles around as the fire fed off the dry brush.
"It's been very dry, extremely dry. The river is already low and we haven't gotten any rain," said Josh Poole, a resident.
Late Wednesday firefighters were worried the winds would push the blaze across the wildlife refuge and toward nearby homes. That didn't happen and firefighters backed off when the winds did.
Sill, they know fire like these don't go out on their own quickly. It's a sleeping giant and, if pushed awake again by high winds, it could grow like it did Wednesday bringing problems for morning commuters.
