Small brush fire in SW Miami-Dade consumes 5 acres, unoccupied house

A small brush fire consumed five acres — including an unoccupied house — in Southwest Miami-Dade early Wednesday morning, according to Miami-Dade Fire officials.

Crews were able to douse the flames, which were around Southwest 172nd Street and 157th Avenue, in about two hours with the help of the Florida Forest Service.

The small blaze came as crews tackled a raging brush fire in Collier County that shut down about 25 miles of Interstate 75 along the western end of Alligator Alley Wednesday morning.

It also came on the heals of a massive fire in West Miami-Dade on Southwest Eighth Street that started Sunday and consumed more than 1,000 acres. That fire was mostly under control by Wednesday.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Felipe Lay said the fires should serve as a reminder to be careful near dry areas.

“One of the biggest things as the dry season comes upon us is for people to be mindful of things that could ignite a grass fire such as smoking, leaving your car engine or motorized vehicle over a grass area and not completely extinguishing camp fires,” Lay said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 10:27 PM with the headline "Small brush fire in SW Miami-Dade consumes 5 acres, unoccupied house."