Fire flames and smoke in Southwest Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade, Florida – On Thursday, crews were working to put out a grass fire in southwest Miami-Dade.

Chopper footage showed the flames and smoke at the fire located near the intersection of Southwest 127th Avenue and 128th Street.

The fire was located in the Tamiami Pinelands nature preserve and was not threatening any homes or businesses in the area. “Most of the smoke activity is blowing towards the airport to the west away from some of the businesses and residences. There could be some smoke issues in the neighborhood and some ash,” said David Rosenbaum of the Florida Forest Service.

As of Thursday afternoon, about 50 acres were burned, and roads in the area were closed.

The Florida Forest Service says this fire is not necessarily negative for the preserve, although the heavy smoke may be alarming for people who work nearby. “When you do have a fire, it can burn off some of that older vegetation and prevent future fires,” Rosenbaum said.

The cause of the fire was unknown. “Folks need to be aware that we are certainly still dry here in South Florida,” Rosenbaum said. “We need to be careful around campfires or any other type of thing that could start a fire.”