MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A brush fire east of Homestead was 80% contained on Saturday, up from 60% the day before.
The fire broke out in the area of Southwest 117th Avenue and 336th Street.
“It’s in a good place right now,” Florida Forest Service Everglades District Manager Kevin MacEwen said. “We hope to have this wrapped up in a couple of days.”
According to the Florida Forest Service, about 850 acres of brush have burned. It used helicopters and water from a nearby canal to douse the fire.
The Forest Service has intentionally set what are known as “burnout fires,” burning brush to clear an area of fuel for the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Firefighters were hindered by the soft ground, preventing them from driving equipment near the fire.
“Our equipment when we sent it out there to put the fire out, our all tracks and our bulldozers, they got stuck,” MacEwen said. “So that was a whole ‘nother operation to get that equipment out.”
Forest Service officials said they don’t expect the fire to threaten any structures. Dry conditions and windy weather have helped it spread.
They said a fire like this one can actually be healthy for the land, clearing underbrush which could be fuel for future fires. But they are still trying to keep it contained.
Officials expect an active fire season.