Firefighters work hard to contain the blaze; meanwhile, a fire that threatened Port St. Lucie homes is out.
By Associated Press
Published April 4, 2004
MIAMI - A wildfire on the edge of the Everglades was increasing in intensity Saturday and more than 150 people were evacuated as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
The fire had burned nearly 2,700 acres northwest of Miami and about 200 people in the area of Jones Fish Camp were evacuated Saturday as a precaution, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Eugene Germain said.
"They're working feverishly to bring it under full containment," he said, adding that dry grass, brush and melaleuca trees were fueling the blaze.
He said a change in the wind Saturday afternoon caused the fire to pick up and it was blowing smoke and ash over parts of the city.
On Friday, the fire caused a smoke cloud that stretched east for more than 20 miles and dropped snow-like flurries of ash on areas of Miami-Dade County. About three miles of Okeechobee Road, a major thoroughfare in the Everglades, remained closed Saturday from Krome Avenue to Florida's Turnpike, Germain said.
Another brush fire burned 45 acres and destroyed an $80,000 fire truck Friday in Port St. Lucie. Ten houses were evacuated and the fire came within 20 feet of some homes before it was put out.
Port St. Lucie is 108 miles north of Miami on the east coast of Florida.
Spring is the traditional wildfire season for much of Florida.
