Editor’s Note: This is a Thursday evening update (5:23 p.m.). This story is developing and will be updated as more information comes in.
For the third straight day, crews are battling a massive wildfire in neighboring southeast Miami-Dade County. Card Sound Road remains closed as crews tackle the flames. The 18-Mile Stretch was expected to reopen to vehicles just after 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
An alert by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office earlier in the morning stated the Stretch was closed in both directions as crews confronted the flames.
The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and Florida Forest Service said in a press release that the fire is 24,000 acres and 30% contained. The Florida Fire Service currently has 27 personnel on scene, along with multiple engines, tractors, three helicopters and two fixed-wing airplanes. FFS strike teams from north and central Florida were also deployed to the wildfire.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has deployed multiple units and resources, including water tender trucks to provide extra water supply, and Air Rescue teams are conducting water drops in areas inaccessible to ground crews. MDFR Air Rescue’s aerial firefighting missions involves deploying Bambi Buckets to release water into the areas impacted by the fire.
Monroe County Emergency Services said Trauma Star is continuing to operate for critical transports without issue.
The Monroe County Tax Collector said the Key Largo office will be closed Friday due to a staffing shortage as a result of the wildfires shutting the main thoroughfares into the Keys.
The Key Largo Chamber of Commerce said Thursday afternoon that they’ve been receiving many calls from visitors seeking accommodation’s for the night due to the road closures. Several restaurants said they’re operating with limited staff. Old Tavernier Restaurant announced they were closed Thursday due to the wildfires.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for most of south and central Florida due to strong winds and low humidity — wildfires can spread fast in these conditions.
Traffic in and out of the Florida Keys was shut down for nearly five hours on Tuesday as a brush fire burned in southeast Miami-Dade County near the 18-Mile Stretch and Card Sound Road. Traffic had reopened on the Stretch on Tuesday evening, but Card Sound Road remained shut down.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Fire Service arrived at the scene of a rapidly-spreading blaze just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday. With tankers and air support dropping water, crews battled the ferocious flames well into the evening. Card Sound Road was the first to close, and not long after that, the 18-Mile Stretch was shut down with the emergence of flames and heavy smoke. Dry weather and winds aided the fire’s ability to spread.
With closures lasting hours into Tuesday evening, Key Largo and Florida City turned into a massive parking lot as cars were unable to traverse the two main thoroughfares in and out of the Keys. In Key Largo, store and business parking lots were filled as motorists waited it out. The Winn Dixie parking lot at MM 105.3 filled up as people could be seen walking their dogs, eating and camping out, said Key Largo resident Emilie Caldwell Stewart.
On U.S. 1, vehicles were stacked northbound as far back as MM 99.
Traffic on the Stretch was eventually reopened around 9 p.m. on Tuesday evening, although the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office advised motorists to avoid traveling if possible due to the smoke. The Stretch was closed for period of time on Wednesday due as crews battle flames.
Smells of smoke from the blaze in Miami-Dade went as far south as Islamorada on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Residents and motorists as far south as Plantation Key in Islamorada experienced some hazy conditions on Thursday morning.
The fires began last week as dry and wind conditions worsened the situation. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, although the National Weather Service issued fire warnings earlier in the week for most of Miami-Dade, with little to no rain failing in recent weeks and lower humidity levels. The warning wasn’t active at the time of the blaze, although conditions appeared ripe for increased risk of brush fires.
The National Weather Service in Miami said Wednesday that relative humidity values will be dropping as low as 30% with gusty southwesterly winds. With most of South Florida under drought conditions, the weather service said this will lead to critical fire concerns Thursday afternoon.
“Any fires that develop could spread rapidly,” the National Weather Service said.
No injuries to persons or threats to buildings have been reported.
