Overview
- The blaze, named the Mile Marker 40 Fire by the Florida Forest Service, erupted about 8 a.m. Thursday and has burned roughly 4,400 acres with containment at about 20 percent.
- The fire sits in the Everglades roughly 10 miles north of I-75 at Mile Marker 40 just west of U.S. 27 a few miles north of Weston, giving crews a clear operational reference point.
- Officials have warned residents with respiratory problems to stay indoors and urged drivers on U.S. 27 to set vehicle air conditioning to recirculate to reduce smoke exposure.
- Meteorologists said southerly winds should keep most smoke away from western suburbs on Friday but cautioned that a shift to the southwest could push smoke into populated areas on Saturday.
- A separate Berger wildfire in southwest Palm Beach County is burning about 350 acres and is roughly 50 percent contained, a development that could affect regional firefighting resources and local air quality.