Why #SWFlorida needs rain – desperately!, originally uploaded by Tink*~*~*. 10 May ’09, 12.08pm EDT PST I’m standing on my lanai, which faces precisely west. NBC-2.com says this is burning at Ortiz Avenue, which is maybe 4 miles from my home. As more and more time passes without precipitation and the drought deepens, more and more brush fires are happening.