The Midnight Fire in Polk, Florida, burned 600 acres and was fully contained by June 14. Homes in the affected area faced fire damage from this naturally caused wildfire.
Overview written from official NASA EONET and National Interagency Fire Center/IRWIN data.
- Type
- Wildfires
- Official size
- 600 acres
- Containment
- 100%
- Cause
- Natural
- Began
- Status
- Ongoing
Affected by this event? Open your area's damage guides below to reach a vetted local restoration pro, 24/7.
Affected areas & guides
Every area named for this event, per the official source. Open yours for damage guides — what to do first, and how to reach a vetted restoration pro, 24/7.
Polk, Florida
Get help
Hardee County, FL
Get help
Affected area map
The shaded area is the affected-area perimeter reported for this event by NASA EONET (Polk, Florida), colored by its significance. Pan and zoom to explore the map; when more than one observation exists, use the slider below to step through how the reported area changed.
Shown as reported by our sources — not an official product. For current advisories and the authoritative map, see NASA EONET ↗.
Latest updates
Official updates and news coverage for this event, newest first — National Weather Service products, local storm reports, incident updates and press headlines. Official items are verbatim government text; news headlines link out to the original outlet.
- Forecast discussion NWS TBW
Area Forecast Discussion
Scattered afternoon thunderstorms with gusty winds and heavy rainfall expected daily through the week, with Saharan dust keeping overall rain chances lower.
Show full text Hide full text
000 FXUS62 KTBW 141855 AFDTBW
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 255 PM EDT Tue Jul 14 2026
...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER...
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Saharan dust will keep rain chances lower and daytime highs hotter through the week. Continue to practice heat safety when spending time outdoors.
- Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms each day, beginning near the coast during the morning hours, then moving inland into the interior and eastern half of the Florida peninsula each afternoon and evening. Strong gusty winds, brief heavy rainfall and frequent lightning are the greatest threats.
&&
.DISCUSSION... Issued at 255 PM EDT Tue Jul 14 2026
West to northwest flow will persist through the week as a stalled frontal boundary across the southeast U.S. eventually washes out and the high pressure ridge holds to our south and west. There will be enough moisture, even with the Saharan Dust over the area, for scattered showers and thunderstorms each day. This flow would favor convection near coastal areas during the morning then shifting inland and into the eastern half of the Florida peninsula each late afternoon and eveni…
Updates are captured automatically from official and news sources, and may lag the live source. For the very latest, see NASA EONET ↗.