KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In Florida, firefighters are spending the holiday battling wildfires as motorists on the way to Orlando feel the impact. Heavy smoke forced the closure of parts of Interstate 4, a major highway for those traveling to Orlando area attractions like Disney World, and the smoke also made driving treacherous, causing at least one deadly pile-up. Joining us now from Polk County, Florida, Chuck Johnson joins us again of Bay 9 News. Hi, Chuck, what's the latest?</s>CHUCK JOHNSON, BAY NEWS 9 REPORTER: Well, Kyra, the smoke has cleared here on I-4 in Polk County, it could be a while before the highway is cleared. You can see an army of tow trucks has showed up to try to clear off some of the vehicles involved, but it could be a few hours before westbound Interstate 4 opens. Now, the Florida Highway Patrol says what happened this morning at about 6:30, motorists started reporting that they had hit a wall of smoke and fog, and witnesses described one crash after another. After that, it was a chaotic scene. We had about 18 vehicles involved in this accident. Eight of them were commercial semi-trucks. We have one person that's been confirmed killed in the wreck, 10 or 11 people, we're not sure which, have been taken to area hospitals with various degrees of injury. But right now, investigators are here at the scene, trying to mop-up and tow trucks are getting ready to clear out all of the vehicles. But we are told it could be a few hours before westbound Interstate 4 opens to traffic -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: Chuck, are troopers still advising motorists not to even get outside and get on the highway or has that been lifted?</s>JOHNSON: Well, the westbound lanes are closed, Kyra, on I-4; the eastbound lanes are open. As for the smoke, the smoke has lifted. They say it combined with the fog to be real thick this morning, but once the sun came up, that that danger ended.</s>PHILLIPS: Chuck Johnson with Bay 9 News. Thanks so much.
Smoke From Wildfires Again Plays Havoc With Florida Highways