A coconut tree farm caught fire in South Miami-Dade. See what the rescue teams saw
Firefighters with the Florida Forest Service and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue battled a smoldering blaze at a coconut palm tree farm for hours Friday morning and afternoon.
What to know:
The scene
Extinguishing the blaze: Using water from fire truck pumps and from the drainage canals next to the sprawling farm fields, county firefighters contained the smoke and flames from the road, while Forest Service firefighters maneuvered a tracked vehicle known as a Bombardier through rows of trees, knocking down the fire from within.
Visibility challenge: Forest Service Firefighter Luis Pineda said driving the Bombardier through the tree rows is tricky business because visibility is difficult with the smoke, and drivers need to be careful not to nosedive the vehicle into the many trenches that are dug in between trees.
Wind factor: There is no definite cause of the fire at Southwest 112th Avenue and 268th Street, but strong southeast winds and dry South Florida winter conditions make the brush prime for fires this time of year. One county firefighter at the scene said sometimes the sun reflecting through a beverage bottle thrown on the side of the road is enough to spark a blaze.
Time stamp: According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue online dispatch records, the fire was reported shortly before 10:30 a.m. By 1 p.m., firefighters had it under control, but they continued to battle stubborn smoke and flames whipped up by the winds.
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.
