Florida Wildfires 2020 Map, Update: Fires Shut Down Interstate, Force Evacuations

Wildfires that broke out Wednesday afternoon in Collier County and continued to burn into the next morning shut down Interstate 75 Thursday morning and forced the mandatory evacuations of 30 homes .

More than 6 square miles have burned on both sides of the interstate in Southwest Florida, resulting in the closure of a 20-mile stretch, also known as Alligator Alley.

According to the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District, the fires, spanning 4,000 acres, merged overnight and 10 percent are contained at this time.

The Board of County Commissioners authorized an immediate burn ban in Collier County back on April 16 due to the lack of rainfall the county received in March.

Residents of three streets in the Golden Gates Estates subdivision were ordered to leave their homes. Several cars and trailers in the subdivision have been severely damaged and destroyed by the flames.

A citizen contact zone has been set up for affected residents and meals and water have been made available to evacuees.

"We are asking that everyone please be patient with our first responders. This is a dynamic situation and as apparatus is moved to fight the fire there will be temporary road closures and traffic back-ups," read a statement from the Collier County's Sheriff's Office. "Please understand we are working as hard as we can to effectively and efficiently move equipment and resources. We understand that residents are frustrated and we are moving as quickly as we can."

The wildfires have been fast moving due to the low humidity and moderate, gusty winds, which are expected to continue into Friday. However, the Southwest Florida region is anticipating a gradual increase in moisture going into the weekend. Showers later today are possible.

This year, Florida has seen 1,324 wildfires that have burned a total of 38,229 acres.

Last week, more than 1,000 Florida residents were told to evacuate their homes as wildfires raged across 2,000 acres in Santa Rosa County on the other side of the state. Again, dry weather and high winds catalyzed the flames.

Walton County also experiencing a 575-acre wildfire last week that displaced 500 residents. Allen Smith was arrested on Tuesday in connection to the Walton County fire that destroyed 59 homes. Smith is accused of burning prohibited materials on his property and did not fully extinguish the fire, causing it to spread into nearby dry vegetation.

The last major wildfires that engulfed Collier County took place in March 2018. Just over a week apart, the two fires resulted in 28,403 total acres burned.