Wildfires in Broward and Miami-Dade counties cut road visibility and access
Wildfires continued to burn up large areas of Broward and Miami-Dade counties on Monday.
While there have been no reported injuries, the smoke from the fires is reducing visibility on the roads, officials said. Firefighters from several departments, including Miami-Dade and Broward, as well as the Florida Forest Service, battled the flames.
The larger fire is burning on U.S. 27 west of Pembroke Pines. State officials are calling it the Max Road Fire. As of Monday morning, it was burning around 4,800 acres and was only 20% contained, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture’s interactive wildfire map.
The city of Weston issued a statement Monday that the fire started near Mack’s Fish Camp at 18599 Krome Ave., and has spread to two more locations — near Holly Lake in Pembroke Pines and three miles west of U.S. 27, heading north-northeast toward Everglades Holiday Park.
“Persons with respiratory illnesses or sensitivity should monitor the air quality or stay indoors. The air quality can change by the hour depending on the winds and the heat,” the city said in the statement, adding the fires are not encroaching on residential areas.
Everglades Holiday Park, well-known for its airboat tours and alligator shows, announced Monday morning that it was closing due to the fires.
The fire in Miami-Dade is in Florida City, the last mainland town before the Florida Keys. As of Monday, it was burning around 210 acres and was 30% contained, officials said.
Although much smaller than the one in Broward, the South Miami-Dade fire affected traffic going in and out of the Keys on Sunday, with officials closing Card Sound Road, one of the two arteries accessing the island chain from Sunday evening into early Monday morning.
The road reopened around 7 a.m. Monday, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Smoke from the fire became so thick in Florida City on U.S. 1 that all traffic in the town Sunday afternoon was diverted to Krome Avenue.
Dense smoke filled the air and small sheets of ash fell on the residents of the Southern Comfort RV Park on Southwest 344th Street.
“Yeah, that’s the scary thing,” said Vicky Risley, from Springfield, Illinois. “Very interesting Mother’s Day.”
Risley, 68, is “trying to be a snow bird,” the term for seasonal Floridians, and has been staying at the RV park since March. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
Ralph Baena, emergency operations administrative division chief with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, said Monday that firefighters are working to contain the fire away from homes in Florida City and Homestead.
“We have units in place to make sure it doesn’t spread any further than that,” Baena said in a video statement released by the department.
The two fires burn as Florida is in the peak of wildfire season, according to the state’s Department of Emergency Management. This is because of the dry, windy conditions that tend to dominate the weather cycle this time of year.
Rain could be on its way that has the potential to give firefighters a helping hand with putting out the flames, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
Tuesday has a 60% to 70% chance of precipitation throughout the area, from Palm Beach down to Miami-Dade counties, said weather service meteorologist Nico Porcelli, adding the rain has a larger chance at affecting the Broward fire, Porcelli said.
“There could be a possibility that a shower of potential strong thunderstorm could develop right over the fire,” Porcelli said.
This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM.
