Crews battled two wildfires in South Florida that expanded Monday after torched thousands of acres in the Everglades over the weekend, officials said. The Florida Forest Service said the fires were producing smoky conditions and reduced visibility, even as containment operations increased.
The larger of the two incidents had grown to about 5,600 acres in an undeveloped area southwest of Fort Lauderdale, with 30% containment reported by officials. State and local firefighters were supported by the National Guard as they worked to hold the lines, officials said.
Fire rescue crews were also fighting a separate 300-acre blaze in southern Miami-Dade County near Homestead, and officials said that fire was also 30% contained. The Florida Forest Service posted on Facebook that crews continued their containment operations as conditions changed.
Officials said they had not reported any serious injuries or property damage at the time of the update. The fires came amid dry conditions that have contributed to other wildfire activity around the country, including wildfires in southern Georgia last month that destroyed dozens of homes.