50-car pileup closes I-4

50-car pileup closes I-4 A series of accidents, including a massive, 50-car pileup, forced the shutdown of Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando.
   At least three people are reported dead and a 15-mile stretch of I-4 has been shut down in both directions. The Florida Highway Patrol said there were a series of crashes in Polk County, which is halfway between Tampa and Orlando. The crashes, including a single grouping with an estimated 50 cars and trucks, were caused by a deadly mix of morning fog and smoke from a brush fire about a mile from the highway.
   Television and Associated Press reports quoted officers from the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Highway Patrol as saying at one point this morning visibility was down to zero, with officers unable to clearly see their hands in front of their faces.
   In an AP report, a sheriff's deputy said the decrease in visibility occurred quickly. 'It was clear, then it was a little foggy, then it was total darkness,' the deputy said. The problem started just before sunrise.
   I-4 was still closed at noon. Authorities were not able to estimate how long it would take to clear the highway and resume traffic flows between the cities.