DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A series of smoky brushfires that broke out over the weekend along Interstate 95 in Central Florida has prompted the evacuation of LPGA headquarters in Daytona Beach.
Connie Wilson, the LPGA's head of communications, said that because of road closures, employees were ordered to remain home. A development across the street from the LPGA property was evacuated Sunday night and the off-ramp that leads to the tour offices remained closed Monday morning, blocked off by a squadron of Florida Highway Patrol cars.
When I blew through there this morning, the troopers all seemed to be staring intently at their on-board computers, massaging their fantasy baseball roster or something. Or maybe they were sleeping.
The LPGA employees certainly are not.
"We're all working from remote locations today," Wilson said.
The fire, burning to the west of I-95, remained partly under control as of mid-day Monday and it's uncertain if tour employees will be allowed back to work Tuesday. The offices themselves, which also house the developmental Duramed Futures Tour, don't appear to be in any immediate danger of fire damage since winds seem to be pushing the fire in the opposite direction.
A section of I-95 in Melbourne, Fla., remained closed Sunday night, prompting many who live in South Florida and attended the Players Championship in the Jacksonville area to make lengthy detours through Orlando or find lodging for the night.
