SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A grass fire in South Miami-Dade has burned about 2,900 acres, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Tuesday morning, forestry officials and the Miami-Dade Fire Department continued to monitor the area’s power lines to prevent any damage. Power lines have not been affected.
Officials said that a plane will fly over the fire, Tuesday afternoon, to provide an update on the fire.
The fire ignited early Sunday morning, at around 11:30 a.m., in the area of Southwest 344th Street and 101st Avenue and is slowly expanding north toward Zoo Miami. The fire may have been caused by an off-road vehicle, such as an ATV, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Traffic remained blocked going east toward Turkey Point as forestry and fire crews continue to try to contain the fire.
Forestry officials, who called the blaze the “Mother’s Day fire,” sent bombardier trucks into the brush in an attempt to redirect the fire into consuming itself. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire has not threatened any buildings.
While crews continued fighting the spread of the brush fire, Monday evening, photographer Joseph Stevens took the opportunity to capture the smoke in the sunset.
“This is my way of making good out of it, turning something ugly into something beautiful,” said Stevens.
The FFS said more than 2,100 brush fires have sparked in the state this year, including massive blazes in Collier County and Pembroke Pines. Officials said, thanks to the dry conditions and high heat, they are expecting more fires like these in the near future.
According to the Commissioner of Agriculture, there were 130 active wildfires in Florida, Monday alone.
As of Tuesday night, the fire was about 70 percent contained.
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