GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A long line of cars and trucks collided one after another early yesterday on a dark highway so shrouded in haze and smoke that drivers were instantly unable to see the road. At least 10 people were killed.
When rescuers first arrived, they could only listen for screams and moans because the poor visibility made it difficult to find victims in wreckage that was strewn for nearly a mile, police said.
Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup south of Gainesville on Interstate 75, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire that may have been intentionally set. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved; some burst into flame.
“You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy,’’ he said. “If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of world.’’
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Ludie Bond, a spokeswoman for the Florida Forest Service said the fire had burned 62 acres and was contained but still burning yesterday. A similar fire nearby has been burning since mid-November because the dried vegetation is so thick and deep. No homes are threatened....
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Related: Fla. highway reopened minutes before deadly crash
Also see: Florida Fire Spreads to Alabama
"Alabama police find 5 dead in home" Associated Press, January 30, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Police found five people dead inside a Birmingham home when they arrived early yesterday morning to investigate a possible robbery, authorities said....
Doreatha Moss lived in the house, a white building with green trim now surrounded by police tape, until late 2010. “I don’t know anything about it now other than that there’s all the time a bunch of young guys hanging around there,’’ said Moss, who still returns to visit friends. “That’s not good.’’
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