A brush fire in western Miami-Dade County forced at least one business to evacuate Tuesday as it continued to burn hundreds of acres and push smoke into the sky.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said crews responded shortly before 3 p.m. Monday to the area of Northwest 137th Avenue and Northwest 25th Street. By Tuesday the blaze had burned 600 acres and was 30 percent contained, according to the Florida Forest Service. No injuries were reported, though residents with respiratory conditions were urged to stay indoors and recirculate the air from their air conditioners.
Aerial footage Monday showed heavy smoke rising as flames consumed multiple acres, with one section burning near power lines. Officials upgraded the fire to a third alarm as crews worked to protect nearby possible exposures, and Air Rescue teams carried out water drops. A neighboring business was evacuated as a precaution.
Doral Police said the fire caused power outages that knocked out traffic signals at Northwest 107th Avenue and Northwest 41st Street, as well as Northwest 102nd Avenue and Northwest 41st Street. Officers were directing traffic at the scene. Drivers were told to use caution, expect delays, and consider alternate routes where possible.
NBC6 Meteorologist Adam Berg said rain, light winds and higher humidity should aid the firefight. Afternoon storms were expected to develop again Tuesday, mainly across northern Miami-Dade and into Broward. Light winds lower the risk of flames spreading, and higher humidity helps rehydrate dry brush so it burns less easily.
The heat, however, remains. A heat advisory is in effect, with feels like temperatures that could climb above 105 degrees in spots. Winds blowing to the northeast were pushing smoke into parts of Broward County, including Miramar.
This is a developing story.
