PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol issued another advisory Saturday for drivers in Putnam County as an 800-acre wildfire continues to be active after a lightning strike ignited flames Tuesday.

Troopers said the fire in the area of State Road 19 and National Forest Road 74 may affect drivers traveling in the Ocala National Forest throughout the day and into early morning hours 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.