OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A brush fire that grew out of control Friday morning covered a Marion County road with smoke, blocking the morning commute to Fessenden Elementary School and forcing district officials to implement alternative transportation plans.

The 40-acre fire created near-zero visibility conditions from Highway 326 north to Northwest 100th Street on Northwest Gainesville Road, preventing school buses, parents, and staff from reaching the elementary school. Marion County Public Schools officials quickly redirected affected students to a nearby campus.

“We had to actually redirect some of the buses this morning because they couldn’t get to certain areas around that school or the school itself,” said Kevin Christian, MCPS spokesperson. “So we staged those students in the auditoriu

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