Everglades wildfire in Broward mostly contained after burning thousands of acres, causing smoky conditions for metro areas

An Everglades wildfire in west Broward County has burned thousands of acres and brought smoky conditions to nearby metro areas, according to state officials and CBS Miami meteorologists.

According to the Florida Forest Service's Watch Duty map, the Mile Marker 40 fire has burned 6,750 acres just west of US-27 and north of I-75.

Significant progress has been made in containing the fire; as of 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, the blaze is 95% contained.

The Watch Duty map first reported the fire Thursday afternoon at approximately 1:35 p.m.  

The fire has caused smoky conditions for residents and visitors alike 

The fire has caused smoky conditions for some Broward residents, with people living in the area smelling smoke. It has also disrupted travel plans for some visitors.

Michelle Reid, who is visiting from Scotland, said she has never been involved in a situation like this. She is heading south toward the Florida Keys, away from the flames.

"I'm 100 percent happy that I am heading in the other direction," Reid said.

Martha Flowers, who traveled from Pennsylvania to escape wildfire smoke from Canada, expressed relief at moving away from the affected area.

"In Pennsylvania, where I'm from, they're dealing with the Canadian smoke, so I'm going to go from one area to the next," Flowers said.

This fire adds to a series of blazes in the Everglades over the past six weeks. Steve Davis, chief science officer for the Everglades Foundation, attributed the fire risk to drought-level rainfall shortages.

"We've now entered into this extended dry period once again, and it's really exacerbating the drought and makes the system more vulnerable to fire," Davis said.

Davis noted that while fires are common in this region, they would be less severe with adequate rainfall.

"June is generally a pretty good rainfall month, but we had about half or less of the typical average for that month," Davis said. "What we're looking at in July is a below-average rainfall month."

Corey Blue, a visitor from Jacksonville, said he encountered thick smoke while traveling along U.S. 27.

His first thought was: "The Everglades are on fire."

Blue said he and his companions hoped to see the blaze before rain extinguished it and before they embarked on a planned airboat ride.

"We're about to go on an airboat, and we thought it was interesting that there is a fire right next to where we're going," Blue said. "Florida is on fire all the time; we're pretty used to it."

The ongoing drought is one of the attributing factors for the fire

The fire had been burning for three days and was 50 percent contained Saturday morning. Recent rain helped clear the smoke and improved containment figures.

The Everglades Foundation attributes the area's vulnerability to fire to a two-year drought.

AJ Newball, another visitor who traveled to the area to view the flames, noted the intense heat.

"It's everywhere," Newball said. "For the whole month, we've had feels-like temperatures of 100 degrees or more. It's a different weather system."

Despite the reduced smoke, Broward health officials issued warnings regarding the dangers of inhaling air near the fire.

"It causes the airways to narrow, and people can have shortness of breath," said Dr. Cesar Carralero, medical director of the emergency room at Broward Health North.

The Everglades Foundation stated that while the rain provided some relief, more precipitation is needed to offset years of water shortages in the region.

No homes or structures have been reportedly threatened.

The Forest Service is investigating the cause of the fire. The Everglades Foundation said that when the ground is this dry, fires can burn into the soil, potentially requiring decades, or even a century, for the land to recover.