Two wildfires burning within the Florida Everglades despatched thick plumes of smoke drifting throughout South Florida in a single day Tuesday into Wednesday morning, decreasing visibility on roadways and elevating air high quality issues.
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The bigger blaze — dubbed the Mile Marker 39 Fireplace — had scorched 1,600 acres northwest of Fort Lauderdale by early Wednesday and remained 0% contained, in response to the Florida Forest Service. A smaller fireplace close by, known as the Sawgrass Fireplace, has burned roughly 250 acres. The causes of the fires are nonetheless underneath investigation.
Smoke blanketed a lot of Broward County in the course of the morning commute, with drivers reporting hazy situations as far east as Plantation and alongside main roadways together with College Drive, Interstate 595, and I-95 close to Sheridan Road. Site visitors cameras additionally captured flames burning within the Everglades.
The Nationwide Climate Service warned that visibility on roadways might dip to lower than 5 miles in some areas the place smoke is densest. “Train further warning on the roads as visibilities could fluctuate vastly throughout brief distances,” forecasters in Miami cautioned.
Past site visitors hazards, officers mentioned the fires had been additionally affecting air high quality. Broward County’s Pure Useful resource Division categorised air high quality as “unhealthy”, particularly for individuals with respiratory or cardiovascular situations, kids, and older adults. Residents had been urged to restrict outside actions if potential.
Fort Lauderdale Fireplace Rescue reported residents smelling smoke all through the metro space late Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Smoke has additionally unfold south into Miami-Dade County.
The fires come as South Florida is already sweltering underneath a warmth advisory, with the Nationwide Climate Service warning of a warmth index as excessive as 110 levels from Homestead to West Palm Seashore.
The Everglades — a 1.5 million-acre subtropical wetland of sawgrass, marshes and mangroves — is not any stranger to wildfires, that are generally sparked by lightning or human exercise. However with excessive warmth and dry situations, officers warn the blazes might proceed to unfold.
