SOUTH MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews were back out on U.S. 1 in South Miami-Dade to once again tackle a grass fire that led to the temporary closure of the highway.
Machinery was going in and out of a brush area just south of Florida City, Wednesday.
7Skyforce captured a bird’s-eye view of how far the fire had spread. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service are working to put it out.
The blaze started Tuesday afternoon when MDFR and Florida Highway Patrol units were dispatched to a burning unoccupied truck that sparked the grass fire.
Around 4 p.m., units arrived to U.S. 1 around mile marker 125.
A traffic camera at mile marker 122 showed smoke in the distance.
At 5:30 p.m., the southbound lanes were shut down. They reopened to traffic late Tuesday night.
The northbound lanes were still open, although, if there was a shift in the wind, the lanes would have been shut down as well.
FFS officials were also notified of the fire.
FFS spokesperson David Rosenbaum said a driver was headed to the Florida Keys when he noticed something wrong with his truck near mile marker 125 on U.S. 1.
“The Highway Patrol officer told me the guy was driving his truck, he saw smoke coming out of his air vents, and then looked in his rear view mirror and saw flames,” said Rosenbaum
Though the fire started near marker 125, the FFS said that bits of the car that were on fire were picked up by the wind and taken out west, creating a bigger problem for responding crews.
“We’re right in the middle of fire season. It’s been windy the last couple of days and without much rain, the grass has been very dry and the trees as well,” said Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum said no one, including the driver of the truck that caught fire, was hurt.
“A little shell-shocked, so to speak. He apologized but was very candid, and he didn’t know what happened,” he said.
According to the FFS, about 150 acres have been burned, although no structures or roadways were threatened.
MDFR Air Rescue was high above the flames conducting water drops in hopes of taming the flames.
“There are no homes, businesses and I haven’t seen any wildlife threatened as well,” said Rosenbaum.
The flames on U.S. 1 was not the only area first responders had to keep a close eye on Tuesday. In Southwest Miami-Dade firefighters were seen monitoring a brush fire near Southwest 167th Avenue and 47th Street.
“There’s always fires, sometimes, especially this time of year,” said a driver in a black shirt.
Back on U.S. 1, Florida Highway Patrol troopers rerouted drivers onto Old Card Sound Road, while the southbound lanes were closed.
7News spoke with several people that kept a positive mindset and did not stress about the detour.
“Luckily for me, I’m not rushing to get home or anything like that,” said Elizabeth Alter.
“As long as I can get to Key Largo from here, I’ll be fine,” said Tom Engelmann.
Officials said the fire is 10% contained.
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