CMEDIA: A wildland fire was discovered Feb 22, 2026 in Big Cypress National Preserve about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Naples, Florida.
Moving through dry vegetation, the blaze dubbed the National fire sent a plume of smoke billowing over parts of the preserve and nearby communities.
This image was captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on the afternoon of Feb 25. By then, the fire had burned around 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares), according to the National Park Service.
After the smoke was carried by the winds southward in previous days, winds shifted to start pushing it north by the time Aqua captured this image.
The smoke reduced visibility according to news reports and led to the brief closure of I-75—the interstate nicknamed “Alligator Alley” that runs east-west through the northern part of the preserve.
It also contributed to smog over Lake Okeechobee.
Continuing to spread over the next several days, the fire reached just over 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) by Feb 28, according to InciWeb.
As of March 2, it remained roughly the same size and was 38 percent contained.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation. Officials have noted, however, that its spread was driven by ample fuel, including vegetation that was dry from persistent, extreme drought and damaged by recent frost.
The National Interagency Fire Center’s wildland fire outlook calls for above-normal fire potential across Florida through May.
