Grass fires burn hundreds of acres in SW Miami-Dade as crews work to contain flames

Smoky conditions continued in southwest Miami-Dade as two brush fires were still burning Tuesday.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said one fire burning near Southwest 157th Avenue and Bird Road was 95% contained but had burned around 100 acres.

The second fire, near Southwest 137th Avenue and Southwest 8th Street, burned up to 235 acres by Tuesday morning and was 85% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.

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Florida Forest Service crews were working to extinguish the fires, with the assistance of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Crews have also been patrolling the area to ensure no property or structures were impacted and to put out spot fires.

The larger fire was first reported as a 4-acre blaze on Sunday but it quickly grew and led to the temporary closure of a portion of Southwest 8th Street.

"It’s going to be smoky for the next few days," the Florida Forest Service's Pete Donahue said.

With the smoky conditions expected to linger, officials said anyone suffering from respiratory conditions should limit their exposure.

Residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed and run their air conditioners to recirculate the air inside their homes until conditions improve.

Investigators said it's too early to determine the cause of the fires but said there's a lot of trail riding in the area.

"It’s a mess in there, it’s like a dumping ground so who knows. It could have been somebody that left some garbage or kind of anybody’s guess right now," Donahue said.