South Florida will see fire warning as weather conditions could mean more blazes: NWS

As 4,000 acres burn in south Miami-Dade County from a blaze that’s been raging since last week, the National Weather Service is placing several South Florida counties under another red flag warning — meaning residents should prepare for more fires.

Around 1:40 p.m., forecasters announced Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Glades and Hendry counties will be placed under the warning on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 pm. It is a rare alert that also was issued Monday. Before then, it was last seen in January 2023.

READ MORE: Get out your jacket. Cool front coming to South Florida; dry air leads to fire warning

Winds are expected to pick up to 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, humidity will be as low as 30 percent and temperatures are forecast to be in the mid to upper 80s. The aforementioned factors mean any fires that start could proliferate rapidly, forecasters said.

“A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior,” the NWS said.

South Miami-Dade had already seen the effects of such conditions as a brush fire that started on March 12 continues to rage on and has consumed about 4,000 acres on the county’s portion of Card Sound Road — only 20% of it has been contained.

The massive blaze had shut down the only two routes in and out of the Florida Keys Tuesday — Card Sound Road and the 18-Mile stretch of U.S. 1. — as smoke blew onto the roadways, becoming a driving and health hazard.

While Card Sound Road remains closed, U.S. 1 has intermittently opened and closed as authorities tend to the smoke plumes and bring in water. The 18-Mile stretch is experiencing heavy traffic back up and delays.

Officials warned there is no estimation on when both routes will fully reopen.

READ MORE: U.S. 1 closed again due to massive brush fire. Both roads into Florida Keys shut down

A short-lived brush fire sparked in the Sweetwater area Wednesday, but Miami-Dade Fire Rescue quickly extinguished the flames with no injuries, authorities said.

This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 4:55 PM.

Devoun Cetoute

Miami Herald

305-376-2026

Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.