A week after lightning sparked a string of wildfires across western Miami-Dade, the flames are largely beaten back, but the smoke has not entirely cleared. An air quality alert remained in effect for Miami-Dade County on Monday, lasting until mid-afternoon, as two stubborn brush fires from last week continued to smolder in the Everglades.
The damage tally is striking. The largest blaze, the Quarry 2 Fire near Northwest 137th Avenue, burned just over 19,000 acres before crews declared it fully contained on Saturday. A second fire, the Well Fire, scorched roughly 1,525 acres and was about 70 percent contained over the weekend. Together they ranked among the largest wildfire events South Florida has seen in years, fueled by severe drought and bone-dry sawgrass.
There was real relief by Monday. A southeast wind pushed much of the smoke and haze inland, improving air quality across most of Broward County, and a round of rain on Saturday night helped crews tamp down the remaining hot spots. Major roads that had been shut at the height of the firefight, including Krome Avenue and stretches of Florida’s Turnpike, have reopened. The roughly 200 residents of Mack’s Fish Camp who voluntarily evacuated were cleared to return home over the weekend once officials determined the fires no longer posed a threat.
The aftermath has exposed a deeper problem. Airboat operators told local media that water levels in parts of the western county are now too low to reach some of the burned areas, a sign of the prolonged dry conditions that have plagued the region. This was not an isolated event. Back in April, the Highway 41 fire burned more than 9,000 acres along the Tamiami Trail, and crews have been chasing brush fires across Miami-Dade and the Everglades for months.
For now, officials are urging residents, especially those with asthma or other respiratory conditions, to wear masks if they must be outdoors, to keep windows and doors closed, and to set air conditioners to recirculate. The immediate emergency has passed, but the smoke, and the drought that fed it, are lingering reminders that fire season in South Florida is far from over.
