Lake Okeechobee ties record for lowest level; fire on lake bottom

Water levels in dried-out Lake Okeechobee dropped Wednesday to match a historic low set in 2001, while firefighters battled a blaze burning on part of the exposed lake bottom.

The South Florida Water Management District expected the record of 8.97 feet from May 24, 2001, to evaporate later in the day as the region's worst known drought continues. The average water level for this time of year should be around 13 feet in the second-largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States.

The 12,000-acre fire started Monday in the vegetation left to dry in the sun as the lake waters receded from its northwest rim, said Melissa Yunas, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Forestry.

"It happens when the lake dries out," Yunas said. "All the water is not there. Now it's just vegetation, all dried out, just sitting on the side of the lake."

The cause of the fire was unknown. It was about 50 percent contained, Yunas said.

Lake Okeechobee is the primary backup reservoir for 5 million people in South Florida during dry periods. Water management officials warn that the lower the lake levels drop, the less likely it is that summer rains will sufficiently refill the lake to meet water demands during the next dry season.

-- The Associated Press