PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A new alert was issued by the Florida Highway Patrol for those driving in Putnam County due to an ongoing 800-acre wildfire sparked by lightning on Tuesday.

Authorities noted that the blaze near State Road 19 and National Forest Road 74 could impact drivers journeying through the Ocala National Forest during the day and into the early morning of Sunday.

Drivers are encouraged to reduce their speed and use low-beam headlights to adapt to changing visibility conditions.

An Ocala National Forest official told First Coast News on Thursday that the wildfire was sparked by a lightning strike, and firefighters were using what they called strategic burn operations to keep flames from spreading.

“They came back out to check it on the 29th and found that with the heat and the wind that we’ve been repeatedly having lately, everything had dried back out and the flames had shot back out and started to spread,” Ocala National Forest Public Information Officer Melanie Banton told First Coast News.

Banton said Thursday that smoke could be in the area for another week. She especially warned that drivers traveling on State Road 19 should be cautious.

“If there are people commuting early in the morning, late at night on 19, they need to be vigilant and watch out for the smoke. And if they have to stop and wait for the smoke to clear a little bit,” Banton said.