The wildfire burning in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve on Wednesday forced crews to respond in an area that sits near “Alligator Alcatraz,” a state-run immigration detention facility deep in the Everglades, officials said. As the fire’s footprint expanded in the preserve, travel conditions deteriorated along Interstate 75’s “Alligator Alley,” where smoke and poor visibility prompted periodic lane closures.
Officials said the detention facility itself was not in danger at the time. Stephanie Hartman, director of communications for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, said the wildfire was situated about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the facility and was moving in the opposite direction.
Hartman said the state’s emergency management team was in contact with local and state firefighting crews. She said those crews would provide a 24-hour notice if an evacuation at “Alligator Alcatraz” became necessary, adding that evacuation procedures were “well rehearsed” to allow a “quick and efficient response.” She did not provide an immediate answer to a question about the number of detainees inside the facility.
The wildfire, according to the report, had burned more than 25,000 acres (100 square kilometers) by Wednesday. The facility’s name has become a political flashpoint since it opened in July on a little-used airfield deep in the Everglades, where federal authorities seek to deport people held there.
When the facility opened, state officials said it would have capacity for 3,000 detainees and could be expanded to 5,000. The report said that during a series of court hearings in Fort Myers in late January, recent reports revealed the number of detainees was about 1,500.
Weather was a key factor in how conditions changed during the response. A strong cold front brought dry air Sunday, helping trigger red flag warnings for fire conditions across much of the state, Anthony Reynes, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said. Reynes said relative humidity was increasing on Wednesday, which helped ease conditions that fueled the wildfire, even as winds from the south and dry soil and grass continued to leave conditions ripe for additional fires.
Reynes also said very little rain is expected for the remainder of the week, meaning severe drought conditions continued across Florida. In a state where wildfires are common during the dry winter season, officials continued to monitor the fire’s direction relative to “Alligator Alcatraz,” focusing on both firefighting conditions in the preserve and road impacts along Alligator Alley.