FLORIDA CITY, Fla. – Dry weather continues to fuel the flames of the brush fire in southwest Miami-Dade.
Roads to the Florida Keys were back open, but fire officials are still working to get the fire under control Saturday.
They said the fire remained at 50% containment. That’s good news, but with increased wind speeds, they are literally not out of the woods yet.
The fire, the second in a matter of months, continued to scorch 400 acres of land in southwest Miami-Dade.
Fire crews are doing everything they can to keep it from spreading. They’re optimistic about the progress they’ve made.
“We think it’s in a good place, and we’re hoping we can put it out in the next couple of days,” said Kevin MacEwen, Florida Forest Service district manager.
Even with recent dry weather, the terrain in this part of South Florida is difficult to navigate, making it harder for firefighters to put out the fire.
“The ground, it’s very dry, but heavy equipment will still sink. So it’s a challenge to do that,” MacEwen said.
With changing winds, fire officials say road closures could still happen.
“There’s always a chance,” they said.
Investigators are still working to pinpoint the cause of the latest blaze.
“There’s not been any lightning, so it’s going to be human-caused, whether they’re intentional or unintentional,” MacEwen said. “We’re still trying to figure that out.”
The higher wind speeds remained the biggest concern Saturday.
If road closures happen, they will happen quickly, but officials say the likelihood is low.
