WEST BROWARD, FLA. (WSVN) - The Florida Forest Service said over 30,000 acres of land have burned in the Everglades near Interstate 75 after catching fire on Sunday night.

The brush fire erupted in the Florida Everglades north of Alligator Alley near Weston, just after 6:30 p.m. Sunday and has continued it’s fiery streak days later.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had burned an estimated 31,500 acres of land and is about 30% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.

7SkyForce HD flew over the scene where thick, heavy gray smoke could be seen billowing out into the sky.

Officials said the flames started after lightning struck the area.

Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> A massive blaze was burning Monday in the Florida Everglades, consuming more than 15,000 acres in less than a day, authorities said.

Lightning sparked the brush fire in western Broward County Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and flames had consumed 15,500 acres by 11:50 a.m. on Monday, the Florida Forest Service said, according to NBC 2.

Video posted by the local outlet show clouds of thick black smoke lined by a wall of flames moving across sawgrass.

“It’s going to keep burning until we get rain,” Scott Peterich, wildlife mitigation specialist with the Florida Forest Service’s Everglades District, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

There is no rain in the weather forecast for the area.

The cities of Coral Springs and Parkland advised people with respiratory issues to stay indoors due to the smoke.

Peterich said winds may change by Monday afternoon, and push the smoke north toward Palm Beach County and away from the US 27 highway.

No injuries have been reported from the inferno. </s> Large brush fire continues to blaze in the Florida Everglades

A very large brush fire is burning for the second straight day in the Florida Everglades.

The fire is burning about five miles west of US-27 and more than a mile north of I-75.

The Florida Forest Service says lightning started the fire on Sunday night.

At last update, approximately 31,500 acres were burning.

Officials said the fire was 30% contained as of Monday night. </s> The Sawgrass Fire in the Florida Everglades has almost doubled in the course of one day. It now covers 32,000 acres.

The brush fire is just south of Interstate 75. Smoke from the blaze is also drifting across the state, causing poor air quality and low visibility, especially in Broward, Palm Beach and Collier counties.

The fire has covered 32,000 acres so far. (Photo: FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services/Twitter)

The last official update reported that the fire is 30% contained.



Weather conditions over the past few weeks in Florida have been dry and even warmer than normal. This has created good conditions for a brush fire to spread.

According to the Florida Forest Service, the fire was likely started by a lightning strike and began around 6 p.m. on June 23.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is asking residents in the area to observe Wildfire Smoke Safety precautions.

Officials working to stop the spread of the fire. (Photo: Florida Forest Service: Wildfire/Forestry/Twitter)

Officials and firefighters from all over the state are working to stop the fire. Thunderstorms are projected for the area starting Wednesday.

The hope is that the rain will help contain the fire, though if strong winds prevail instead of the rain, it could cause more harm than good.

The wildfire in the Florida Everglades has spread to 32,000 acres, and officials are using all the resources they can to contain it. </s> BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - A large brush fire was burning Monday in the Florida Everglades in west Broward County.

The fire, which currently consumes 15,500 acres, is situated less than four miles west of Highway U.S. 27 and about a mile north of Interstate-75.

Stay with Local10.com and Local 10 for the latest on this breaking news information. </s> WEST BROWARD, FLA. (WSVN) - The Florida Forest Service said over 30,000 acres of land have burned in the Everglades near Interstate 75, temporarily forcing part of Alligator Alley to be shut down.

The brush fire erupted in the Florida Everglades north of Alligator Alley near Weston, just after 6:30 p.m. Sunday and has continued it’s fiery streak days later.

“This area is about 165,000 acres total. It’s surrounded by canals,” said Scott Peterich with the Florida Forest Service, “and we’re wanting to keep it in this area.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had burned an estimated 33,500 acres of land and is about 40% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.

7SkyForce HD flew over the scene where thick, heavy gray smoke could be seen billowing out into the sky.

“We were cruising across the state to have some fun, and we saw the fire on the way,” said a witness at the scene, “had to check it out, never had a chance to see this place.”

Officials said the flames started after lightning struck the area.

People with respiratory issues are advised to stay away from the scene of the wildfire.

Florida Highway Patrol temporarily closed the westbound lanes of Alligator Alley from U.S. Route 27 in Broward County to State Road 29 in Collier County, just after 5 p.m., due to poor visibility. Officials said U.S. 41 is an alternate route.

The roadway was reopened at 5:24 p.m. after FHP said rain in the area helped improve visibility. Troopers will remain in the area overnight to monitor conditions.

Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> As Democrats prep for debate in Florida, a 17,000-acre fire burns in the Everglades

On Wednesday, the first Democratic debate will take place in Miami, Florida. The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.

Seventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.

According to the region’s Local 10 news, no firefighting crews have been called to combat the flames as of Monday afternoon; officials said they’re monitoring how the fire moves over the next eight to 10 hours. So far, none of the blaze has been contained. Rain is not in the forecast until Wednesday.

Florida isn’t the only state in the U.S. dealing with the fiery fallout of mismanaged forests and rising temperatures. Last week, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced plans to outfit five community buildings in her city to help residents deal with the impending smoke season. And California is facing an increased risk of wildfires this summer thanks to a wet winter that helped spawn new brush (aka kindling, once hot weather dries the brush out).

The average wildfire season is 78 days longer than it was in 1970, a side effect of climate change that should surely be a topic of conversation at the Democratic debates. Alas, the Democratic National Convention announced this month that it will not be hosting a climate-themed debate — a request made by various climate activist groups and presidential hopeful Jay Inslee. Maybe the smoke from the fire in the Everglades will convince the committee to change its mind. </s> A historic brush fire ravaged almost 5,900 acres of land in California as over 1,000 firefighters continued to push back the flames, KABC, a Los Angeles-based ABC affiliate reports Sunday morning.

A historic brush fire ravaged almost 5,900 acres of land in California as over 1,000 firefighters continued to push back the flames, KABC, a Los Angeles-based ABC affiliate reports Sunday morning.

The fire, which erupted Friday, had forced the evacuation of more than 700 homes in the Los Angeles suburbs of Burbank, Glendale and Sunland-Tujunga. Evacuees from Burbank started to trickle back to their homes on Saturday.

As of Sunday morning, the Castleman Estates area was added to the list, per NBC Southern California.

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The blaze is 10 percent contained and there have been no injuries reported. The flames have destroyed three structures, however, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed a declaration of local emergency on Saturday instructing all city agencies to “take all necessary steps to protect life and property in the area.”

It is the largest fire, by acreage, that the city of L.A. has ever seen, LAFD chief Ralph Terrazas said at a press conference Saturday, per CNN.

The fire, dubbed the La Tuna Fire, started in West La Tuna Canyon Road in Sun Valley Friday afternoon, reports the Los Angeles Times. It started as a small brush fire sparked by a triple digit heat wave and quickly spread due to shifting winds.

Fire officials say that heat and uncertain winds are still their biggest obstacles.

“Our biggest concern is the wind and weather,” Terrazas said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The erratic weather is our No. 1 challenge. If there’s no wind, this is a relatively easy fire to put out. But when the wind changes, it changes our priorities because other properties become at risk.”

Several aircrafts have been dropping water and fire retardant on hot spots. As of Sunday morning, about 800 firefighters are working to control the blaze.

The LAFD began working on the fire with reduced resources as well. At least 100 fire fighters were deployed to Houston, Texas, to help with Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts, Terrazas said at the press conference. But as of Saturday they were headed back to Los Angeles.

This is a developing and HuffPost will update it accordingly. </s> This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

On Wednesday, the first Democratic debate will take place in Miami, Florida. The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.

Seventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.

According to the region’s Local 10 news, no firefighting crews have been called to combat the flames as of Monday afternoon; officials said they’re monitoring how the fire moves over the next eight to 10 hours. So far, none of the blaze has been contained. Rain is not in the forecast until Wednesday.

Florida isn’t the only state in the U.S. dealing with the fiery fallout of mismanaged forests and rising temperatures. Last week, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced plans to outfit five community buildings in her city to help residents deal with the impending smoke season. And California is facing an increased risk of wildfires this summer thanks to a wet winter that helped spawn new brush (aka kindling, once hot weather dries the brush out).

The average wildfire season is 78 days longer than it was in 1970, a side effect of climate change that should surely be a topic of conversation at the Democratic debates. Alas, the Democratic National Convention announced this month that it will not be hosting a climate-themed debate—a request made by various climate activist groups and presidential hopeful Jay Inslee. Maybe the smoke from the fire in the Everglades will convince the committee to change its mind.
A brush fire burns at least 32,000 acres of land in the Florida Everglades amid near record-breaking temperatures.