Smoke Rises Over Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect

On February 22, 2026, a wildland fireplace was found in Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Naples, Florida. The blaze, dubbed the Nationwide fireplace, moved via dry vegetation and despatched a plume of smoke billowing over components of the protect and close by communities. 

The MODIS (Average Decision Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite tv for pc captured this picture on the afternoon of February 25. By then, the fireplace had burned round 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares), in line with the Nationwide Park Service.

After carrying smoke southward in earlier days, winds shifted to begin pushing it north by the point Aqua captured this picture. In response to information experiences, the smoke lowered visibility and led to the temporary closure of I-75—the interstate nicknamed “Alligator Alley” that runs east-west via the northern a part of the protect. It additionally contributed to smog over Lake Okeechobee. 

The fireplace continued to unfold over the subsequent a number of days, reaching simply over 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) by February 28, in line with InciWeb. As of March 2, it remained roughly the identical measurement and was 38 p.c contained. 

The fireplace’s trigger stays beneath investigation. Officers famous, nevertheless, that its unfold was pushed by ample gasoline, together with vegetation that was dry from persistent, excessive drought and broken by current frost. The Nationwide Interagency Fireplace Middle’s wildland fireplace outlook requires above-normal fireplace potential throughout Florida via Might.

NASA Earth Observatory picture by Lauren Dauphin, utilizing MODIS knowledge from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

• Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect (2026, February 27) Information Releases. Accessed March 2, 2026.
• Gulf Coast Information (2026, February 26) Alligator Alley reopens following smoke-related closure from Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect fireplace. Accessed March 2, 2026.
• Gulf Coast Information (2026, February 26) Smoke from Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect fireplace shuts down Alligator Alley. Accessed March 2, 2026.
• Lake Okeechobee Information (2026, February 27) Smoke from Huge Cypress Protect wildfire ends in smog over Lake Okeechobee. Accessed March 2, 2026.
• Nationwide Built-in Drought Data System (2026, February 24) Florida. Accessed March 2, 2026.
• Nationwide Interagency Coordination Middle (2026, March 2) Outlooks. Accessed March 2, 2026.