right now at five part of i-95 closed in
both directions stretching from Duval
into Nassau County smoke from this
nearly 400 acre yellow Bluff wildfire
causing dangerous driving conditions it
then spread the debris and blew in and
went pretty fast
low visibility on the highway almost
impossible and the fire seen from the
air through sky 4 still burning in just
two hours that wildfire doubled in size
from 200 acres to about 400 in the last
20 minutes we learned the fire jumped
the interstate in three different places
and we just checked and right now it's
just 25 percent contained right now sky
4 is live over these burning woods the
interstate is shut down for seven miles
as between State Road 200 and pecan Park
Road and here's how you can get around
that closing if you're heading north you
can exit onto pecan Park and then take
us 17 north to get back onto the
interstate if you're coming south on
i-95 exit at State Road 200 and proceed
south onto US 17 then back to 95 if
several crews following this breaking
story we begin with news for Jax
reporter Jim Pickett live along pecan
Park Road where people are getting off
the highway Jim you know Tom it is a
mess out here people have been sitting
for hours just trying even to get to
this point I'm going to show you that's
the exit off of - off of 95 north coming
here to pecan Park Road and you can see
it's barely moving there so the traffic
is a mess because they just can't go up
that seven miles
that's what's blocked there it is a it's
really a mess at this point I've been
talking to people along there they're
just kind of frustrated about what's
happening with this let me show you the
culprit with Sky set what you can see
was Sky 4 here is that that fire that's
burning as you had mentioned doubled in
size this afternoon 400 acres of what
we're talking about and it what happened
and what caused all of this mess is that
it did something they weren't expecting
and that it jumped 95 in three different
spots that's what caused the delays up
there at that point in fact right before
that
I jumped that line I was on the
interstate with my photographer Randy
Selden we were driving by I want to show
you video I was shooting at the time
when we're coming up to it and what you
can see is two heavy smoke over the road
at that time I wasn't I just said it did
just really look bad we saw a lot of
police activity a lot of firefighter
activity as we were driving by there and
then shortly afterwards around 2:00 15
to 25 that's when they closed the
interstate and we were able to get off
at that point show you something else
something you don't see this is a time
of day when the interstate is packed but
look at the d-o-t cam there of 95 both
north and southbound it's empty and
that's what is causing the traffic mess
leading up to this because of safety
reasons they had to shut it down we
don't know how long it's going to be
shut down obviously people are
frustrated I've been mentioned talking
to drivers I talked to one woman coming
up from South Florida going all the way
up to Philly she's got six dogs in her
car so when I interview her you're gonna
be hearing those dogs as well here's
what she told me
how long you been sitting in traffic
three hours or drugs we were four hours
ahead of our game plan I couldn't even
tell you it's all good driving our
neighbor
well good you got six dogs yeah our
family like it's good to be epic but
it's gonna be something she's gonna
remember us too but she had she had a
good attitude about her about all of
this no I've been talking to officials
here about how long is this going to be
nobody can tell us at this point
talking to forestry they believe that
the smoke is going to continue over that
small area but it's going to continue on
through the evening get a little bit
worse before it gets better
so I would imagine if you're taking 95
in either direction find a different way
us 17 also very crowded because that's
really the only way around we're live on
the north side Jim pick a channel for
the local station Jim thank you we want
to go now to news for Jax reporters a
clash way who was on the east side of
this wildfire close to the spot where it
likely started Zach Tom that is correct
take a look at our vantage point the
cause of this fire is still under
investigation but authorities believe it
started over here somewhere near these
railroad tracks girl Alan and his dogs
survey his land how many acres do you
own here about 40 after the yellow bluff
wildfire tore through his property this
first time coming back here does I
didn't want get in their way or nothing
so you kind of stayed out you really
haven't done too you know research to
see what far we got we don't know that
how far is your house from here uh
probably a thousand feet or so T V
Florida Forest Service says the fire
started around 3 o'clock Wednesday
afternoon west of the railroad tracks
that run parallel to us 17 and the fire
department cuffin main street across the
railroad trying to cut it off and they
couldn't get it cut off in time by the
time they got here it doesn't spread
with the wind blowing in the
we've pretty fast take long
what I find interesting is how the fire
jumps take a look at this land behind me
you see charred earth but over here this
is a hot spot reignited by the wind
were you ever nervous you're nervous but
when the Forester people here had three
bulldozers happy jack you got here after
Leatherhead
back here live you're taking a look at
highway 17 from both the air and the
ground you can see a live picture is up
from Sky 4 and you can see the back up
on land here it's bumper-to-bumper
traffic and things are moving slow
coming up at 6:00 we're going to hear
more from Earl and we're also going to
hear about the resources that have been
brought in to fight this fire we're live
in Jacksonville I'm Zach Lazar a channel
for the local station