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State officials cite wind shift in fire near I-4 pileup

Feb 6, 2008 | Staff | Orlando Sentinel

A sudden shift in winds and humidity prompted an intentionally set fire to rage out of control last month near a 70-car pileup that killed five people on Interstate 4 in Polk County, state authorities said Tuesday.

Investigators from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services concluded that there was no gross negligence nor was any crime committed by the crew in charge of what was supposed to be a controlled burn set on Jan. 8.

The series of fatal accidents occurred a few hours before dawn the next day in fog that cut visibility to just feet in some areas.

State firefighters and weather forecasters suspect smoke from the wildfire might have worsened visibility.

However, the Florida Highway Patrol still is investigating and hasn't said if smoke was to blame. FHP has attributed the accidents to weather conditions and speeding drivers.

"There does not appear to be any evidence of criminal violation" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission burn crew, the investigation report states.


Burn properly authorized

The burn on 10 acres was properly authorized by state forestry authorities as a measure to clear away thick brush.

Two weather forecasts early Jan. 8 called for humidity -- which was as high as 90 percent late morning -- to be as low as 44 to 60 percent with winds between 5 and 12 mph from the east or southeast.

But erratic winds with gusts of 16 mph and humidity as low as 31 percent that afternoon helped fuel the runaway fire, the report said.

Another report released Tuesday by the Florida Division of Forestry points out that Polk County was critically dry on the day of the controlled fire.


17 straight dry days

A weather station near the prescribed fire had not recorded rain for 17 days, according to the multi-agency report requested by the Division of Forestry.

That helped enable dried-out grass and brush to burn uncontrollably.

Earlier this week, the Florida Highway Patrol released more than 100 pages of reports detailing personal information of the drivers involved in the pileup, but they do not provide a sequence to the crash.

Several westbound drivers in some of the less-serious crashes were cited for careless driving, the report said.

An FHP spokeswoman said the crash remains under investigation. It could be several months before a final report is complete, the spokeswoman said.