Broward wildfire rages in Everglades as new blaze ignites near Florida City in south Miami-Dade
Fire crews in South Florida are continuing their work to contain and extinguish wildfires that ignited in Broward and Miami-Dade counties over the weekend that continue to grow in size.
The larger of the two fires is located in the Florida Everglades in western Broward County and is being called the Max Road Fire.
The Max Road Fire, which is to the west of US-27 and Pines Boulevard, has so far burned about 11,090 acres and is 60% contained.
Members of the Pembroke Pines police and fire-rescue departments have been positioned in nearby communities – such as the Holly Lake community – to keep an eye on the developing situation to ensure flames don't begin to creep closer to the area.
"The Florida Forest Service continues containment operations on the fire," Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Department said in a Facebook post on Monday. "Resident can expect a heavy presence of helicopters and emergency personnel in the area and should not be alarmed."
Emergency officials said that there is still no imminent threat to the community, but residents are being urged to be aware of local conditions in case the situation changes.
And some residents aren't taking any chances.
Down the street, Vilma Rodriguez said she and her daughter are preparing in case the winds change direction and the fire comes closer.
"We're keeping an eye on things," she said. "We've already set aside some things in case we have to leave."
"Nervous, concerned," Audrey Gonzalez said. "Kind of just being watchful because, it's just, fire is something that's so powerful,"
Gonzales is doing her part. Since the fire broke out on Sunday she's been using her hose to water down the area surrounding her home.
"As a precaution, we always, you know, make sure we wet everything down," she said. "God forbid it does come this way, at least we have a half a chance."
This isn't the first time she's had to deal with a wildfire near her home.
"Like three years ago we had one that did jump the levy," she said. "And it unfortunately has occasionally, and it came about 100 feet from our house."
And as she did then, she will keep her hose nearby and pray that Mother Nature keeps the flames away from her home.
"We're just going to have to keep watch and do what we can to protect our house and pray that the wind stays to the west," she said.
172nd Avenue Fire burning in south Miami-Dade
Another fire, which is being called the 172nd Fire in south Miami-Dade, has also been making an impact on South Florida.
The 172nd Avenue Fire has so far burned about 300 acres and was 50% contained.
The fire is burning near Florida City and forced officials to close Card Sound Road for a period of time.
The road has since been reopened, but drivers are being urged to use caution as heavy smoke was still being reported in the area.
A fire map is providing live updates on both fires as they burn in South Florida.


