Lake City, Florida
1. Wide shot of trees on fire
2. Firefighter moving burnt branches, as surrounding area smoulders
3. Pan across bush area to firefighters hosing burnt area with water
4. Firefighter in foreground as bush burns
5. Bush burning
6. Helicopter carrying water flying
7. Firefighters lined up on side of road
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Dolan, Baker County Fire Chief:
"As far as the stress levels for my fire department is concerned, it's high. They're getting exhausted. They're getting tired."
9. Various of smoke and the city streets
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ken Disbrow, evacuee:
"Everything I own is there, so I've got a lot to lose."
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox Pop, evacuee:
"We live 18 miles (29 kilometres) out on a farm. So we had to leave the animals."
12. Wide shot of firetrucks in midst of smoke-filled air
13. Smoke covering city
Miami, Florida
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Tahir Ahmed, Pulmanologist, Mt. Sinai Hospital:
"The dust causes problems, you do get a lot of calls and patients with severe diseases end up in emergency rooms."
Lake City, Florida
15. Police cars on road obscured by smoke
16. Cars driving through thick smoke
17. Sign saying road 441 closed (due to accident)
18. Emergency services on road
19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colonel Chris White, Florida Highway Patrol:
"We have had several traffic crashes, traffic accidents that have involved injuries."
20. Various of burned-out remains of a home
21. Burnt trees
Lake City, Florida
22. Plane dropping anti-fire material onto forest
23 View of city and smoke
Catalina Island, California
24. Wideshot of town of Avalon showing harbour
25. Avalon houses overlooking harbour
26. Medium shot of ferry arriving
27. Wideshot of ferry docking
28. Close-up of ferry
29. Wide shot of passengers disembarking
30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bruce Wright, resident
"I haven't slept in a couple of days. I'm a little worried. I'm one of the highest buildings on the hill so if the fire got anybody it got me pretty good, so I'm a little worried."
31. Close up of sign (English): 'Thank you firefighters'.
32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bruce Wright, resident:
"I've just, thank God they (firefighters) were here, an amazing group of people. I think they saved the city because when I left Thursday night the flames were rolling down the hillside as fast as could be. It was extremely scary."
33. Wide shot of residents leaving ferry returning to Avalon.
Wildfires were raging in Florida in the United States on Saturday, burning thousands of acres of forest and forcing people to leave their homes.
Firefighters have been battling two gigantic fires.
Officials said that the first wildfire, that raced through the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia and into northern Florida, has charred nearly 300 square miles since a lightning strike ignited it a week ago.
The other fire began more than three weeks ago after a tree fell on power lines.
That fire has burned nearly 124-thousand acres of swampland and forest in Georgia and windy conditions are fuelling blazes in every corner of the state.
The hundreds of firefighters battling the blaze in Northern Florida have battled the blaze for six days and the fire is still out of control.
Richard Dolan, Baker County Fire Chief said his fire department is very stressed and exhausted.
About 500 people were evacuated from their homes in Lake City Saturday.
"Everything I own is there so I've got a lot to lose." said Ken Disbrow one evacuee.
Firefighters say it seems like every time they extinguish one fire, another one pops up in its place.
Hampering the crews is thick smog, which is forming as smoke meets rising humidity levels, and is causing concerns over people's ability to breathe.
Officials said the smog is enveloping roads and making safe driving difficult, forcing officials to shut down parts of major interstates.
Officials are blaming smoke from wildfires for at least four highway accidents.
The largest accident appeared to be a five-car crash that occurred on the interchange between the two highways that is northwest of Lake City.
Haze from the fires had travelled more than 300 miles (482 kilometres) to the Miami area.
Officials said the fire has burned to within about six miles (almost 10 kilometres) north of Interstate 10, where heavy smoke blanketed the area and visibility on the highway was reduced to about a quarter of mile.
In north Florida, about 600 families were still unable to return home Saturday morning, said Jim Harrell, of the Florida Division of Forestry.
Meanwhile residents of an island off the southern California coast in the US have begun returning to their homes after firefighters and favourable weather halted a wildfire's advance onto the island's most populated area.
Nearly four thousand evacuated residents in Avalon on Catalina Island began heading back to inspect their homes and apartments and reopen businesses that largely cater to tourists.
Ferry's arrived from Long Beach with weary residents, some who had hardly slept in days, anxious to see that all is well.
Avalon resident Bruce Wright who returned by ferry to Catalina on Saturday said he hadn't "slept in a couple of days" and that he was worried about his home, which is on one of the highest buildings on the hill.
Wright described Thursday's evacuation as "extremely scary".
The cause of the fire, which erupted on Thursday afternoon in the 76-square-mile island's rugged interior, had not yet been determined.
Keyword-fire- wildfires
