MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A brush fire in west Miami-Dade, dubbed the Mile Marker 19 fire, has burned more than 587 acres and it continues to rage.
The fire is only about 50 percent contained, and officials are sending a warning for neighbors in the area with respiratory issues.
“Avoid the area if possible, or stay inside or in your vehicle with the air recirculating,” said Erika Benitez with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Flames burned for hours through the night just east of Krome Avenue. Firefighters have been trying to keep it from spreading west.
“Because then you’ve got Everglades National Park to the west of here. If it gets in there, it can run for days,” said Scott Peterich, with the Florida Forest Service.
Sky 10 was above the area as the fire line moved westward.
Our cameras were also on the ground, where crews have been trying to stop it on Krome Avenue, between Southwest Eighth Street and Kendall Drive.
“Because of the wind direction, it has caused the fire to jump the road, heading west,” said Benitez.
The winds are helping the fire jump the road from east to west and pushing plumes of heavy dark smoke across, making it impossible to see.
“And the fire is continuing to move,” Peterich said.
Crews have been using bulldozers to help firefighters get through the brush and to the flames.
The Florida Forest Service says it’s been a difficult fire to fight.
“We’ve had so little rain fall over the last several months that it’s dried out, and now that makes it even more dangerous,” Peterich said.
Authorities don’t anticipate the fire reaching Everglades National Park and they are hoping for some rain to put the fire out.
The cause of the brush fire remains under investigation but authorities believe it is possible that lightning is to blame.