The Nation : Rain Curbs Florida Fires

Rain helped sap the strength of stubborn wildfires that burned hundreds of homes and more than 150,000 acres of brush and trees across Florida, but a new blaze erupted near Fort Myers, forcing the temporary evacuation of a hospital and other buildings. Across most of the state, the fires were “much quieter now than they have been,” said state Forestry Division spokesman Larry Amison. Heavy rain was reported in hardest-hit Flagler County, north of Daytona Beach on the northeast coast, and the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the county.