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Smoke, Fog On I-4 Trigger About 50 Wrecks, Kill 4

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The mix of fog and smoke reduced visibility to zero on portions of Interstate 4.

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By NEIL JOHNSON and BILLY TOWNSEND of The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

Updated: 01/09/2008 09:28 am

A deadly mix of fog and smoke from a brush fire has led to the deaths of at least four people in a series of crashes on Interstate 4 near Polk City.

At least 50 vehicles are involved, including about 20 tractor-trailers and tankers, authorities said. Tankers have overturned, and at least one burned.

Four people were trapped in the wreckage nearly four hours after the first crash in a series of wrecks.

The injured who could walk were being taken to a rest area about one-quarter mile west of the crash site.

Lakeland Regional Medical Center has received nine patients, said hospital spokeswoman Bobbi Zagrocki. Of those, seven appear to have "significant or serious" injuries, Zagrocki said. Two are being evaluated.

Asked whether they expect to receive more patients, she said, "We can't say, but it wouldn't be surprising. I know they're still having difficulties getting emergency vehicles in and out of there."

Paramedics are tending to other people at the scene. The crash is centered about one-half mile west of Polk County Road 557.

Of the 20 tractor-trailers, at least six have been destroyed by fire and at least five of the other vehicles are burning.

Troopers have shut down I-4 in both directions between the Polk Parkway, also known as State Road 570, and U.S. 27 in Haines City, though the wrecks are not affecting traffic through Lakeland.

The interstate was expected to remain closed for hours, said Heather Duckworth a Polk County public safety spokeswoman.

Eastbound I-4 traffic is backed up 10 to 15 miles.

From the air, it looked like the dense mix of fog and smoke was hampering the four medical helicopters trying to land near the accident scene. The closest site appeared to be more than a mile east of the accident scene.

Fire and rescue crews from surrounding counties swarmed to the scene, including four firefighters and a battalion chief from Orange County Fire Rescue.

Osceola County Fire Rescue sent a division chief and battalion chief and a squad of firefighters operating four engines and four rescue vehicles. Lake County Fire Rescue has 20 firefighters and six emergency vehicles on the scene.

Robert Ellison was heading east on I-4 about 6 a.m. when he narrowly avoided a collision.

"Everything came to a halt," he said. "You can't see your hand in front of your face."

Police told Ellison and other motorists to move to an area away from the road. He and others had tried to help some of the accident victims, including one person pinned in a car.

"There was no indication of anything. Then you couldn't see five feet," Ellison said.

Drivers are urged to use alternate routes, including State Road 33 and County Road 17.

Dick White, who lives in Polk City near County Road 557A and I-4, heard the crashes.

"We woke up this morning to the sound of muffled explosions. It sounded like bombs going off in the interstate. You don't hear any tires squealing; you just hear boom, boom, boom," the 64-year-old said. "They don't even see each other or have time to hit the brakes."

He said he saw a school bus on C.R. 557A going about 5 mph. "Visibility is less than a car length," he said. "It's like looking at the inside of a marshmallow."

Calm winds mean the smoke and fog will linger, and it could be 9 a.m. or later before conditions improve, Jillison said.

The combination of smoke and fog caused the visibility to drop to a car length or so. "The two combined are always worse," said weather service meteorologist Ernie Jillison.

Particles in the smoke give condensing water something to cling to and create something thicker than simple fog or smoke.

The smoke will keep the sun from warming the ground to disperse the fog, he said, and the lack of wind will prevent the air from mixing and thinning the mixture.

Warm air above the ground also will keep the fog and smoke trapped.

The fog over I-4 is fairly localized, and visibility near the accident scene is nearly zero.

The brush fire that caused the smoke started Tuesday from a controlled burn, said Chris Kintner, spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Forestry.

The state Department of Agriculture is investigating the blaze, she said.

Overnight, the fire grew to more than 300 acres about five miles east of Polk City but did not endanger any structures. It had yet to be controlled by this morning, and there was potential for the flames to move into an area of dry swamp, which would make it more difficult to extinguish.

The area burning is north of I-4 where State Road 577 becomes Old Grade Road, and it is one of the driest parts of the state.

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