As a wildfire in Southwest Miami-Dade continued to burn on Saturday, officials said they’ve made progress in containing the flames.
Officially called the 344 Fire, the blaze began on March 13 and has swelled to over 26,000 acres in size.
Having burned for more than a week, officials said that the fire is now 65% contained, the The Florida Forest Service said.
U.S. 1 and Card Sound Road are open for now, but that could change depending on the weather and conditions.
“We still have helicopters that are doing water drops and we still have airplanes that are monitoring the area,” Chief Andy Alvarez with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. “The winds have died down which gives us a good opportunity to finish mopping up the fire.”
The Florida Department of Transportation is updating billboards in real time on U.S. 1 and Card Sound Road so drivers going in and out of the Keys can know what’s going on.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they’re starting to wind down their operations.
“What we’re doing now is called mop up which is basically putting out spot fires in areas that still have active fires,” Alvarez said.
Over at Homestead Miami Speedway, NASCAR Cup Series events have not slowed down and neither have the fans.
“I was wondering if they were going to have the race because I knew the fires were in Key Largo and I was scared they were going to call it off but they’re still having it,” Sara Jones.
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