The Putnam County school officials have decided to close Ochwilla Elementary School again Wednesday due to continuing problems with smoke from a smouldering brush fire in the area.

After being closed for two days in November and on Monday, the school hours were pushed to the afternoon on Tuesday hoping to avoid problems with roads closed by visibility problems.

"It's safer for the kids, you've got to admit that, but it's disrupting everything," Putnam County resident Arnold Woolery said. "I deliver papers out in this area, especially around Baden Powell and off of 21 over there, and I haven't been able to get out there in five days."

Smoke from the 1,000-acre brush fire has plagued the Hawthorne, Interlachen and Melrose areas since before Thanksgiving and prompted frequent overnight closings of State Roads 21, 20 and Baden Powell Road.

Florida Forest Service says all the smoke is coming from the Olive Fire burning, which has been burning since the middle of November.

"I come out here and I can deal with it, but I just feel sorry for the ones living around here who have to do this every day," firefighter Billy Anderson told Channel 4 on Monday.

Since most road closures have been lifted by mid-morning, school officials on Tuesday changed Ochwilla's hours to 12:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with morning and afternoon bus routes will be three hours later than normal.

"At this point, we are not planning on having make-up days," Ochwilla principal Joe Theobold said in a phone message to parents. "We at Ochwilla apologize for any inconvenience."

The fire is is burning in a dry lake bed covered with dense dead and decaying vegetation that experts say can burn for weeks or months and is virtually impossible to put out.

"All you can do is monitor it, keep it from getting into the tree line and going towards somebody’s houses," Anderson said. "I've known these fires to go for years."

Forestry has had tractors out every day cutting and establishing fire lines to make sure the fire is contained.

Anderson said the flames are not the concern as much as the smoke. When the smoke and fog in the morning mix, Anderson said drivers can't see what's in front of them.

"The fog, mother nature, they got to help us," he said. "The weather conditions are calling for fog, and whenever it does, it doesn't take a whole lot of smoke to mix with the fog and visibility is zero."

"It's scary. It's like driving blindfolded," resident Philip Underwood said. "I don't know if you guys have ever driven blindfolded, but it's not fun. ... It's that bad. You can't see two feet in front of you."

There have been several accidents along State Roads 21 and 20 because of the poor visibility.

Firefighters are warning people to find a different way to work or to school in the morning time until a substantial amount of rain comes.

The school district says they'll make decisions about Ochwilla Elementery's status day-by-day. To check on Thursday's school schedule, visit PutnamSchools.org or call the district transportation office at 386-329-0554.