Florida Highway Patrol closed a couple of roads temporarily Tuesday due to a dangerous combination of fog and smoke from a brush fire that started more than a week ago.
U.S. 301 was closed between State Road 20 and State Road 26, and State Road 20 was closed from U.S. 301 to Putnam County. Florida Forest Service is calling the brush fire, which closed roads due to visibility problems, the Olive Fire. The fire started about 35 miles east of Gainesville.
"This morning they had to close ... a pretty broad section of 301, which can make a huge difference to people commuting to work, to school, for truckers [and] for people traveling through the area trying to get somewhere for the holidays," said Ludie Bond, wildfire mitigation specialist for the Florida Forest Service.
The roads were opened later that afternoon.
The Florida Forest Service first responded on Nov. 15 to the fire, which started in Levy Prairie, just east of the Alachua-Putnam county line, Bond said.
It has grown to about 700 acres, and 70 percent of it is contained, but the fire is still going. It has caused closures on State Road 20 and State Road 21 in the Interlachen, Hawthorne and Melrose areas, according to a news release.
The scent of smoke was noticeable through most of Alachua County during the weekend as winds blew in from the east.
Florida Highway Patrol posted smoke warning signs on roads as a caution to drivers.
Bond said some rain Tuesday around the fire-affected area helped with smoke management. A perimeter has been set up around the fire where tractors plowed the ground down to contain the flames.
