Highway 98 near Carrabelle closed for 3rd day after woods fire

A woods fire along Highway 98 east of Carrabelle cut off power to hundreds of residents Monday and closed a portion of Highway 98 for two days.

The fire, which is believed to have started along the side of the highway between Lake Morality road and Lanark Village, was reported on Monday afternoon at about 5 o’clock.

Firefighters from Carrabelle, Lanark Village, Eastpoint and St. George Island as well as Division of Forestry officers were called out to fight the blaze.

Highway 98 was closed Monday and remained closed through Wednesday.

The fire also burned power poles in the area, cutting off power to about 800 residents on the eastern end of the county for a few hours on Monday until Progress Energy workers could get electricity restored.

The Division of Forestry said the fire burned 24 acres – much of it along the highway.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Forestry officials said that because the area is so dry the fire could have been caused by almost anything, including a trailer scraping the roadway.

Because of the dry conditions around the state, officials are also asking Floridians to report any suspicious people or vehicles in the vicinity of areas where a fire breaks out.

The department has a toll-free hotline -- 1-800-342-5869 -- for citizens to report suspected arson or suspicious activities. 

That number again is 1-800-342-5869.

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