The Apalachicola National Forest plans to light a prescribed burn on 14,000 acres

The U.S. National Forest Service launched a massive 14,000-acre prescribed burn in the Apalachicola National Forest this weekend, which could cause smoke in the Tallahassee area.

For comparison, the area burned is about one-fifth the size of the city of Tallahassee. It's slightly smaller than Manhattan in New York. For sports fans, that's the equivalent of more than 10,000 football fields or about 93 golf courses.

The Apalachicola National Forest Firefighting Team will start small fires with hand-held torches and aircraft in strategic areas, according to a social media update from USNFS National Forests in Florida. Burns will be west of the Sopchoppy River and south of Florida Highway 13 at Bradwell Bay in Wakulla County.

“If you drive, bike or hike around this forest, pay close attention to the signs,” the Forest Service said. “Be prepared to stop and turn around, watch out for animals near the road, and please DO NOT enter (prescribed) burn areas.”

James Lindsay, public affairs manager for Florida National Forests, said a 14,000-acre controlled fire is huge. Typically, prescribed burns cover about 100 acres, he said, but when you start getting to 8,000 acres and up, “it's big.”