Fog delays Fla. repair
POLK CITY, Fla. (AP) - January 10, 2008 Interstate 4 has been closed since a series of accidents
Wednesday morning on the main road connecting Tampa and Orlando.
Fog is being blamed for the crashes, which involved cars along 14
miles of highway.
Fires from burning trucks scorched the asphalt and crews worked
until about 3:30 a.m. trying to make repairs. By then, more fog
forced workers to stop. All the vehicles damaged in the collisions
have been removed.
"Please don't even try to come here," Polk County Sheriff
Grady Judd told CNN early Thursday. His agency closed numerous
roads because of the fog.
Investigators are working with families and medical examiners to
identify the dead, said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Larry
Coggins. Five people were also seriously injured in the crashes.
Their conditions were unknown Thursday morning.
Officials continue to investigate whether smoke from a brush
fire burning near I-4 contributed to the crash. The fire began as a
controlled burn, but jumped fire lines and scorched 400 acres.
