WEST BROWARD, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews have made significant progress on a massive wildfire in the Florida Everglades as they continued battling the flames in western Broward County for a third day.
7News cameras on Tuesday afternoon did not capture any orange flames or plumes of smoke lining U.S. 27, a sharp contrast with Monday’s smoky scene.
An aerial view of the highway captured a clear horizon.
Nevertheless, a concern lingers about the probability of the winds changing direction.
The Florida Forest Service said the fire has burned 11,443 acres and sits at 80% contained.
“Those wildfire firefighters from the Florida Forest Service have all those on the ground working operations, but then we’re also working in conjunction with Broward Sheriff’s Office Aerial Resources, making water drops with them, and then also National Guard,” said Michelle Danielson, senior forester at Florida Forest Service’s Everglades District.
The fire was first discovered Sunday near Mack’s Fish Camp off Krome Avenue. By Monday, it would impact operations at Everglades Holiday Park near Weston as it spread further north. The staff at the popular destination was forced to shut down operations.
Two military helicopters were seen dropping water on the flames, as multiple agencies joined forces to contain the flames.
“Everything burned. Everything burned out there,” said Kevin MacEwen, district manager for the Florida Forest Service Everglades District.
FFS officials are now confident they’ll have this fire knocked down within the next day or two.
“We’re right in the levees and checking out here the structures are here at Holiday Park and Mack’s Fish Camp and making sure all that’s secure,” said MacEwen.
Everglades Holiday Park was back open on Tuesday. It had to shut down on Monday after a massive fire within eye’s distance of the site burned through thousands of acres of brush.
“We knew we were in great hands the minute that everyone arrived on site. So we knew we would back open probably withing the next 24 hours and thankfully everything went the way they intended it to,” said Miranda Fernandez, General Manager at Everglades Holiday Park.
In Pembroke Pines, residents of the Holly Lakes mobile home community remained on edge Monday as the fire inched closer to their neighborhood.
Resident Karen Stinnett said the sight was very scary.
“To see that was wow! The clouds were so dark and you could actually see the flames coming up through the clouds and it went all the way around us, all the way over in this area then when it did jump and was just a block away, that was freaky,” she said.
She is now breathing fresh air and a sign of relief after the flames that were feet from her home was extinguished.
“It was all cleared up and it was gone. It was like, ‘This is Florida,'” said Stinnett.
The West Broward brush fire is not the only one firefighters are battling in South Florida. Down in Florida City, crews spent Monday fighting a fire near U.S. 1 and Southwest 352nd Street that’s already burned through around 300 acres. It currently sits at 50% contained.
“Since the fall, we’ve been working with really dry conditions; any type of spark or any natural causes could be an indication why we’re seeing all of these fires all over the state,” said Danielson.
“It’s so dry. I mean, if you look at the brown grass right there, it’s so dry, anything would ignite,” said MacEwen.
Officials said they’re hopeful that more rain forecast for later on Tuesday will assist in their efforts, but they’re concerned about lightning that could reignite the fire.
Broward County officials are encouraging people with respiratory issues or pregnant women to stay indoors as much as possible and to try and keep windows and doors closed due to the air quality.
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