Haze hits; Brevard under red flag warning
Haze hits; Brevard under red flag warning
6 March 2006
published by http://www.floridatoday.com
A thick haze of smoke blanketed much of central Brevard County this afternoon – possibly from pile burns from surrounding counties – as weather officials issued a red flag warning for dangerous fire conditions.
It was not immediately known where the smoke, being carried across Viera and Rockledge by winds from the west, originated from, although there were reports of small, controlled and agricultural burns from Osceola and Orange counties.
“We can see (the smoke) on the radar,” said Matthew Hirsch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was also carrying out a 1,700-acre burn about four miles north of the space shuttle landing facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island.
Brevard County is currently under a red flag warning as dry weather conditions and strong breezes settle in over the area.
“There’s definitely a threat. On Tuesday, we are going to get a combination of low humidity and breezy conditions,” Hirsch said.
Two brush fires blackened about 60 acres in Micco and Scottsmoor on Sunday.
