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Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency Monday as brush fires burned more than 8,000 acres, destroyed homes and forced authorities to shut down highways.

Officials are tracking about 50 active wildfires throughout the water-parched state, and Bush said lightning was probably not to blame in most cases.

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Officials are tracking about 50 active wildfires throughout the water-parched state, including blazes just south of Daytona Beach that have destroyed three homes and shut down stretches of I-95. State officials believe many of the fires likely started with either human negligence or malevolence.

In Brevard County, all brush fire activity is within the fire lines and there is no threat to structures, county officials said Tuesday, although there is still a significant threat for flare up. The overall fire operation is considered to be 10 percent contained and approximately 6,400 acres have been consumed, officials said.

The governor declared a state of emergency Monday night, deploying aviation units from the Florida National Guard. He also met with some of the 155 firefighters working to contain a fire in New Smyrna Beach that has consumed about 1,300 acres since Sunday and destroyed three homes.

"We are a tinder box right now," said Gov. Bush. "We had a little bit of rain but not enough to give people assurances that we are not going to have more fires."

More than 2,200 wildfires have burned over 44,000 acres in Florida since Jan. 1, according to the state Division of Forestry.

TAMPA -- A drought-breaking summer rainy season is just around the corner, with above-normal rainfall forecast for the next few months, regional water officials were told Tuesday.

"We've been in the grip of an unusual dry season, but the good news is that it should be coming to an end," Dave Moore, executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, told Governing Board members