LAKE CITY, Fla. -- Late Monday, gusty winds blew flames from a wildfire that has burned 365 square miles in three counties across a fire break east of U.S. Highway 441, threatening a new area of northern Columbia County and forcing the evacuation an addition 250 to 400 homes.

The new, mandatory evacuation extends west of U.S. 441 for the first time and includes all residents northwest of Lassie Black Road along the Suwannee River and extending north to the Florida-Georgia line.

While Forestry officials said the fire was still 3 miles from the nearest house, officials were worried that the fire would continue growing outside the containment lines.

The fire grew by 6,000 acres on Monday, although most of that was the result of burnout operations. The National Weather Service meteorologist on scene advising firefighting commanders said Tuesday will also bring challenging conditions with calmer conditions, but lower humidity and higher temperatures.

"A little less wind but a little dryer air mass, so should have another active fire day," said National Weather Service meteorologist Tony Edwards said Tuesday morning.

Any new evacuees join more than 500 people who live in the Deep Creek community -- also north of Interstate 10 and east of U.S. 441 -- who were evacuated last Thursday.

"We're still under our mandatory evacuation. We have about 500 people that have been displaced. However, if they need to get in and get some stuff out, we're trying to assist them as much as possible," said Maj. Jim Wells of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

The Red Cross on Monday opened a new shelter at Columbia County High School.

Also Monday, a structural firefighter was injured in a fall from a ladder while trying to fireproof a home in Columbia County. That person was hospitalized and there was no immediate information about the extent of the injures.

The same winds that caused new challenges for firefighters on Monday had some positive effects, dissipating the smoke enough to allow the use air tankers and helicopters to attack the blaze from above and improved visibility enough to reopen 75 miles along two interstate highways.

Lingering smoke and related accidents forced the Florida Highway Patrol to close of Interstates 10 and 75 on Saturday and most of Sunday. While the interstates reopened about 10 a.m. Monday, troopers urged motorists to be cautious as the roads could be closed again if conditions change.

The incident commander said Monday firefighters completed tractor lines around the entire fire and estimate the fire was 50 percent contained, although the incident's Web site shows 30 percent containment.

"We're looking in pretty good shape as long as Mother Nature kind of gives us a little bit of reprieve today," Southern Area Incident Management Team incident Cmdr. Mike Quesinberry said early Monday.

In addition to hundreds of forestry personnel, nearly 50 structural fire protection units were spread over 25 miles between I-10 and the Georgia border.

"To this point we've had no residences damaged or destroyed and we intend to keep it that way," said John Fish with the Florida Division of Forestry.

U.S. 441 remains closed from state Road 100 in Lake City north to Homerville, Ga.

Although some schools were closed on Monday, officials said Columbia County schools would be open on Tuesday.

As firefighters focused their efforts Monday night on the hot spot that forced the evacuation of 150 more homes, crew leaders met with area residents at the county school board building.

Hundreds of Columbia County residents gathered for a community meeting at 7 p.m., to learn all they could about the unpredictable blaze that has already burned more than 360 square miles in north Florida and southeast Georgia and is getting closer to U.S. 441.

People who live near the fire were worried they weren't getting the full story and their fire-related questions were going unanswered.

Some people at the meeting offered suggestions to the crews that have been battling the massive blaze, while others were just searching for answers.

"I have an aunt that lives there with asthma and can't get out. I have a niece that's living with me that's pregnant, and I have three animals in the house," said Columbia County resident Sharon Taylor.

She said before Monday's meeting she didn't know whether the brush fire was coming toward her home.

For that reason, fire crew leaders were as open as they could be during the meeting, showing the public where the danger spots are located.

Fire officials said the main area of concern is the southwest corner of the fire.

"Well, we wanted to find out exactly where it is and I'd like to find out where it might cross 441," said resident David Hogan.

Between the information stations that will be set up on Tuesday and the information released Monday night, emergency workers said they hope hopes public is more informed.

"It's scary because one day they'll say they have it and then the wind picks up and it moves more. You just don't know if the next place it moves is going to be close to your house," said a concerned citizen.

The county is expected to set up information stations around the Lake City area at large public meeting places. Wal-Mart is one location being considered as a site for one of the information locations, where people can go to get their questions answered about the fire's status.

A list of the definite information station sites will be listed Tuesday morning on the county's emergency Web site.

Scattered rain showers fell in the area of the fire on Sunday, but any help the moisture provided will likely be short-lived. Winds on Monday in the area of the fires were expected to be 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. That was up from winds of 6 to 8 mph, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Nina Barrow.

"It's like of a double-edge sword. We get some winds and certainly our smoke situation becomes better, but then the fire situation becomes more threatening," Campbell said. "We ask people to be vigilant. Consider this like a hurricane situation ... doesn’t get caught unprepared"

Interstate Closures Create Weekend Gridlock

Fires and the smoke from them plagued area residents all weekend.

A 35-mile stretch of Interstate 75 from the Florida-Georgia state line to Lake City and a 40-mile stretch of I-10 in Florida, from Live Oak to Sanderson, were closed on Saturday after near-zero visibility from smoke on the highway was blamed for several accidents.

The interstates reopened for a couple hours Sunday morning before being shut down again.

Monday morning, the FHP opened the interstates to traffic, but said there could be frequent stops.

"The interstates are still going to be affected by fire and smoke, so please, please just continue to monitor it," said FHP Maj. Rick Carpenter.

While intermittent traffic was allowed to use the interstates as conditions allowed over the weekend, transportation officials said the resulting traffic tie-up was "monumental."

"Lake City proper was just basically gridlock. The city of Live Oak, bringing it in on (U.S.) 90, was gridlock. We had people backed up on the interstate trying to get off on 90," FHP Maj. Rick Carpenter said.

Fire Still Threatens South Georgia

the blaze, called the Bugaboo Scrub fire, started May 5 in the middle of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It took just six days to grow to 242,313 acres on both sides of the state line. That is nearly double the size of the massive Sweat Farm/Big Turnaround fire has that burned nearly 130,414 square miles from Georgia forest and swampland in Ware and northern Charlton counties over the last month.

The Sweat Farm fire was listed as 80 percent contained and the Big Turnaround fire was listed as 45 percent contained on Monday evening.

The only mandatory evacuation was changed to precautionary Monday night, meaning people in Reeves Landing and Moniac can return home, but need to be prepared to leave again with 12- to 24-hour notice if conditions change.

In Georgia, portions of state Roads 89, 94, 177 and 185 in southern Ware and Charlton counties remain closed, although state Road 177 south of U.S. Highway 1 has reopened.

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Georgia's Steven C. Foster State Park inside it remained closed, but Okefenokee Swamp Park has reopened.

The airport in Folkston, Davis Field, remains closed.

Haze from the fires has traveled as far south as the Miami area, about 340 miles away.

Other Florida Fires

The Florida Department of Forestry reported 237 active fires burning 164,226 acres on Monday morning.

While the Bugaboo Scrub fire was by far the largest in the state, smaller fires that threatened northeast Florida were largely contained.

The 15,000-acre fire that kept people out of their homes and roads closed in Bradford County much of last week was 80 percent contained, Florida officials said on Monday morning.

The last evacuation orders in Bradford County were lifted over the weekend.

One home and two outbuildings were destroyed as the fire was burning out of control on Tuesday.

Starke, Fla., got only .10-inch of rain on Sunday, while parts of Gainesville received up to 4 inches.

Two fires that burned over 9,000 acres in Flagler County last week were 65 and 70 percent contained, with officials saying Monday that firefighters were overseeing containment and mopping up hot spots at fires near Deland and near the Flagler-Volusia border. (FlaglerEmergency.com)