Florida Governor Declares State of Emergency Due to Wildfires

Florida Governor Declares State of Emergency Due to Wildfires
May 9 (Bloomberg) -- Florida Governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency as wildfires burning throughout the state destroyed homes, forced evacuations and closed parts of Interstate 95.

Wildfires have broken out in Brevard, Volusia, Hillsborough and Lee County, and the National Weather Service has forecast dry weather conditions to continue and worsen over the next 90 days, according to Bush's executive order.

The emergency declaration allows Bush to allocate Florida's resources to fight the fires, including stockpiling supplies, ordering evacuations and activate the National Guard to provide aerial support to firefighters.

More than 100 wildfires were scorching nearly 25,000 acres across the state before dawn this morning, including the 6,000- acre Acera blaze burning in palmetto, grasses and pines near Port Saint John, about 17 miles west of Cape Canaveral on the eastern coast, according to the Division of Emergency Management.

Officials from Bush's press office and Mike Stone, a spokesman for the state Emergency Management Division, didn't immediately return telephone messages seeking further comment.