CLEWISTON, Fla — People were evacuated from their homes and for several hours Monday night into Tuesday morning there was a power outage for Glades Electric customers in parts of Banyan Village, Port LaBelle, Horseshoe Acres and Pioneer Plantation because of a brush fire.
11:30 a.m. update: The Florida Forest Service says the fire has now burned 20 acres. They say the fire could burn for up to two more days. People who were evacuated from the homes on Monday night are starting to go back. Hendry County has issued a burn ban for the entire county.
10:00 a.m. update: According to the Glades Electric Company outage map, power has been restored to all but four customers in Hendry County.
9:00 a.m. update: The Hendry County Sheriff's Office says people should get their power back by noon today. According to the Glades Electric Company outage map about 140 customers in this area are without power.
8:15 a.m. update: Fox 4 Community Correspondent, Ella Rhodes reports the smoke is still thick in the Pioneer Plantation community. Fire crews are still in the neighborhood. She spoke to a man who said he still has no power to his house.
2:49 a.m. Tuesday update: The Hendry County Sheriff's Office says 15 acres has burned and the fire is about 90% contained. People should expect a heavy layer of smoke in the air through the morning. Crews are on scene to monitor hot spots.
11:00 p.m. update: First responders report about a dozen residents have been evacuated from their homes in the area of Tampa Street and 21st Street in the Pioneer Plantation community in Clewiston. Those who had to leave their homes were welcome to an evacuation staging area at Pioneer Fire Department. No damage has been reported to any homes or out buildings in the area, and no injuries have been reported.
10:20 p.m. update: Residents in the area of Tampa Avenue, 21st Street and Vero Avenue in Clewiston are being evacuated by first responders. The sheriff's office asks anyone living in the area to be prepared to leave their homes.
10:00 p.m. update: The Hendry County Sheriff's Office asks that anyone in the area of Tampa Avenue and 21st Street in Clewiston cooperate with first responders if they are asked to evacuate their homes.
The Hendry County Sheriff's Office reports the outage was caused by a power grid shutdown requested by firefighters. About 1,100 customers in Hendry County were without electricity Monday night.
Fires were reported in the Banyan Village area. The sheriff's office attributes these fires to severe lightning strikes. While flooding has been reported on some roads in Hendry County, no damage to homes or other buildings has been reported.
As of 9:45 p.m. Monday, it's unclear when power will be restored to affected customers.
