Everglades Fire Creates Haze Over SW Dade
MIAMI (CBS4) – There was a light haze and the smell of smoke in the air over parts of southwest Miami-Dade early Tuesday morning thanks to a small brush fire burning in the southern part of Everglades National Park.
Park spokeswoman Linda Friar said a lightning strike on Monday sparked the fire. As of Tuesday morning it had burned about 155 acres.
Friar said the park's fire team was sent out early in the morning to assess containment status. They determined that they were going to take advantage of the situation and do a prescribed burn which had already been scheduled for later this month. The wind and potential for rain made it a great opportunity, said Friar.
Fire crews set fire to approximately 12, 000 acres Tuesday afternoon which means the haze and smoky smell will remain throughout the day.
Since the beginning of the year there have been more than 4300 wildfires across the state which have burned nearly 278,000 acres.
