Dry conditions and scorching heat fuelled wildfires Tuesday in north and central Florida, where hundreds of homes have already been damaged and thousands of people warned to be prepared to evacuate.

Florida's governor, Charlie Crist, has declared a state of emergency covering the worst of the fires around Daytona Beach and along the dried-up shores of Lake Okeechobee. The fires began late last week.

The biggest blaze is near the town of Palm Bay in northeastern Florida, where more than 1,400 hectares are on fire and at least 70 houses have been destroyed.

"Every time I turn around, another house is on fire," said Yvonne Martinez of Palm Bay municipality. "We don't have enough resources on our own to do a job like this."

Flare-ups spread the flames overnight Monday. A fresh outbreak of fire at night when atmospheric humidity is higher often means an even faster acceleration of the flames during the drier, hotter conditions in daytime.

Just south of Palm Bay, a 1,100-hectare blaze destroyed at least four homes in the village of Malabar, including the house that local resident Butch Vanfleet built in 1980 and tried in vain to protect with a garden hose.

"It's devastation," Vanfleet said, "All you can see is … ash in between the palm trees. The fire came so quickly we barely got out of there."
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