At a Glance

Wildfire season is off to a rapid start in South Florida after lightning sparked several blazes last week.Two of the fires merged and jumped over U.S. 41 on Monday.No evacuation orders are in place, and no structures are currently threatened.

As much of the East shivers through a prolonged chill, parts of southwestern Florida are on fire, and windy conditions were expected to persiston Wednesday.

Officials announced Monday that a pair of Collier County fires had merged and , according to WFTX-TV. No structures were threatened by the fire, which was a combination of the Greenway and 116th Avenue fires, but shifting, moderate winds could be problematic for crews battling the inferno.

"," Nolan Sapp, assistant chief of the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District, told the Naples Daily News.

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Greater Naples Fire Rescue District Chief Kingman Schuldt told the Naples Daily News Monday night that they were "nowhere near" needing to order evacuations for the Greenway Fire – officials kept the name after it merged with the 116th Avenue Fire – but changing conditions meant residents should be prepared to leave if ordered.

The Greenway Fire, which was sparked by lightning last Wednesday, has burned more than 26 square miles and is 50 percent contained, fire officials announced Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the blaze , WFTX reporter Adam Pinsker tweeted.

The blaze claimed the replacement home of 73-year-old Mark Irgang six months after his trailer was destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

"I lost everything in the fire," Irgang told the Naples Daily News. "I’m here basically just with the clothes on my back."

The wildfire also forced officials to close portions of Interstate 75 and U.S. 41 in Collier County due to heavy smoke, but both roads have reopened.

Two other wildfireseach burned at least 2,000 acres of land, NASA said.

Much of southwestern Florida , according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.