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Everglades' Sawgrass Fire 65 Percent Contained

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - There's good news concerning the Sawgrass Fire burning in the Everglades. The Florida Forest Service reports it is now about 65 percent contained.

They say the blaze has consumed 41,500 acres so far.

The fire, burning north of I-75 and west of US 27, grew from 18,500 acres to 32,000 acres Monday.

On Tuesday, a late afternoon storm doused most of it. However, Scott Peterich with the Florida Forest Service said the winds pushed the smoke and the flames from the large fire ever closer to I-75.

The smoke on the road and the poor visibility caused the Florida Highway Patrol to close the major highway for brief time — about 10 minutes — before visibility rapidly improved, thanks to the rains. Peterich said the storm had another benefit, too. It moved the fire closer to the water's edge, where it ran out of brush to burn.

The fire was mostly caused by a lightning strike on Sunday.

At least three other fires were started by lightning across Florida on Sunday, according to the Florida Forest Service.

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