Both lanes reopen after Miami-Dade brush fire shuts down U.S. 1 near Florida Keys
Both lanes of the 18 Mile Stretch of U.S. 1 — the main highway connecting the Florida Keys to Miami-Dade County — reopened late Tuesday night after a large brush fire shut down the roadway in the afternoon.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service are the two agencies battling the blaze. And, although authorities were able to reopen the Stretch, the fire was still active Wednesday. As of 5 p.m., the Florida Forest Service said the fire had burned about 1,067 acres of brush and was 30% contained.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday night that southbound traffic would remain diverted to Card Sound Road, the other artery connecting Florida City on the mainland to Key Largo in the Upper Keys, until “approximately 6 a.m.” Wednesday.
However, firefighters were able to knock down enough of the flames alongside the Stretch to where it was able to be reopened in both directions around 10:45 p.m., said Adam Linhardt, sheriff’s office spokesman.
The sheriff’s office announced the closure of the highway around 4:30 p.m., and said the fire was on the Miami-Dade County side of the road around mile marker 124. Shortly after 6 p.m., it announced that the northbound lanes were reopened to traffic.
All traffic was initially diverted to Card Sound Road, and the $1.60 toll on the rural highway was lifted to accommodate the extra traffic.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Dispatch, it started when a vehicle caught fire on the side of the road, sparking the brush and causing the blaze to spread west of the road.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Omar Rodríguez Ortiz contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 6:12 PM.
