Brush fire forces evacuation of 200 homes
LAKE WALES (AP) – Polk County officials have issued a mandatory evacuation order for 200 homes and have whisked 50 children away from a camp near a brush fire that’s scorched 200 acres in central Florida.
About 70 firefighters from several agencies are battling the fire in Lake Wales. Officials issued a reverse 911 call for the home evacuations. The 50 children were taken from a Lions Camp to a nearby Red Cross shelter.
At least one mobile home was destroyed by the blaze, and three other mobile homes and a workshop were damaged. The fire was about 80 percent contained as of late Saturday night.
Officials say windy conditions that could have fueled the fire’s spread have died down.