A fast-moving wildfire burning in the western Everglades has already scorched thousands of acres and pushed smoke into the Miami metro, leaving parts of the region under a hazy dome and residents reporting that telltale campfire smell in the air. Firefighters are working in remote, swampy terrain where access is tricky and conditions can flip quickly. Authorities are keeping a close eye on the smoke plume and any wind shifts that could shove it deeper into Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Where the fire is burning
The Atlantic Fire started near Tamarac and Commercial Boulevard and has been burning just east of the Sawgrass Expressway. State incident updates put the blaze at roughly 2,240 acres as of Monday morning, according to Coral Springs News. Local officials said neighborhoods east of the berm were not in immediate danger but warned that the smoke plume could drift over more of the metro if the wind changes direction. Crews from state and local agencies have been coordinating how to get engines and personnel into the marshy Everglades landscape.
Latest acreage and containment
By Tuesday morning, the Atlantic Fire had ballooned to about 4,755 acres and was still listed as uncontained, according to CBS News Miami. Officials had not ordered mandatory evacuations but said they were watching the wind closely as light northerly breezes pushed smoke toward communities in Broward and Miami-Dade. Residents east of the Sawgrass Expressway shared photos of murky skies and described smelling smoke while firefighters tracked the fire’s spread.
Smoke and air-quality concerns
Public health and emergency officials have urged people with respiratory conditions, children and older adults to take it easy outside and keep windows shut, according to WSVN. Local air monitors have shown patchy spikes in fine particulate pollution even when broader regional indexes read “good” or “moderate,” which has made it harder to give one-size-fits-all advice to vulnerable residents. The National Weather Service has shared satellite images of the smoke plume stretching out over South Florida, a detail highlighted in reporting by Coral Springs News.
What residents should know
Officials recommend that people with asthma or heart disease, parents of young children and older adults reduce time outdoors and keep an eye on county alerts and AirNow for real-time air quality and smoke updates, as reported by the Miami Herald. The Atlantic Fire is the latest in a series of Everglades wildfires this month that have burned through large swaths of land and underscored how dry South Florida has been.
