A brush fire sparked by a vehicle that went up in a blaze on the 18-Mile Stretch on April 26 was about 50% contained as of Thursday, April 28. A total of 1,117 acres acres of land burned in the area not far from MM 125 where a small truck caught fire, causing dry grass to spread flames to the west.
The Florida Forest Service said on April 27 that ranger crews and a patrol pilot were checking the fire’s status. The southbound lane, closed after the truck caught fire at 4:30 p.m. on April 26, opened some six hours later.
David Rosenbaum, public information officer with the Florida Forest Service’s Everglades division, said they received a call of a fire involving a two-door truck. According to initial reports, smoke came from air-conditioning vents. Flames engulfed the truck not long after the driver pulled off the highway.
The Florida Forest Service, Florida Highway Patrol and Metro-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the scene.
“Burning items coming off the truck were dropped onto dry grass, and the winds were out of the east at 10 to 12 mph,” Rosenbaum said. “Once the grass ignited, the wind pushed it to the fence area where there’s mostly grass on the shoulder.”
By 5 p.m., northbound and southbound lanes were shut down between Florida City and Key Largo as fire trucks and other equipment arrived at the scene. Motorists were diverted to Card Sound Road throughout the evening. A $1.60 toll on Card Sound Road was lifted during that time. The northbound lane eventually reopened after 6 p.m.
What began as a 30-acre fire at 5 p.m. rapidly grew to 50 acres and eventually 150 acres as the evening went on. A Metro-Dade helicopter dropped buckets of water onto it, but the blaze continued to spread as the easterly winds kept blowing smoke to the west of U.S. 1.
“The smoke west of both highways was blowing away from the road. It was never an issue and never obstructed visibility,” Rosenbaum said. “The southbound lane was closed because we needed the road to park equipment.”
The highway’s southbound lane reopened up to traffic around 10 p.m. on April 26.
Rosenbaum said there was a bit of a flare up on the north side on Thursday afternoon that might pique some interest as motorists drive on the stretch. Crews remain on scene.
“The wind picked up and this is typical behavior,” Rosenbaum told the Weekly.
Overall, Rosenbaum said smoke in the vicinity of U.S. 1 can create a visibility hazard. And that can lead to a complete shutdown of the 18-Mile Stretch between Florida City and Key Largo.
“We have to advise motorists that’s a possibility, especially at night,” he said. “Smoke can settle on the road at night. The road also isn’t lit that well.”
No injuries were reported in the fire.
