Everglades Atlantic Fire 95% contained in northwest Broward County amid drought

A wildfire raging in the Everglades for passing commuters to see off the Sawgrass Expressway is nearly extinguished.

The Atlantic Fire burning west of Tamarac near Commercial Boulevard was 95% contained and had scorched approximately 5,780 acres as of midday on Wednesday, July 1.

The fire rapidly grew in the first 24 hours after lightning sparked the initial blaze on Sunday. Plumes of smoke were visible on the busy commuter corridor on Monday morning.

The Florida Forest Service worked to put out the blaze in the following days using aerial monitoring, brush trucks and mapping. Low winds helped keep the fire from spreading further.

“They’re doing visual monitoring, mapping and using all the planning and tactical operations available,” Michelle Danielson with the Florida Forest Service told the Coral Springs News on Tuesday.

The fire comes as South Florida experiences a drought, although conditions are improving, according to the National Weather Service. Three other fires in Miami-Dade County have been burning since June, spreading across over 20,000 acres, data shows.

With the July 4 holiday around the corner, public safety officials have encouraged South Floridians to exercise caution when setting off fireworks to avoid sparking new blazes.