Wildfires in Florida have started increasing in frequency and size in the past few years, challenging the wide assumption that high humidity would make large-scale fires impossible. With increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall, the Everglades forests have been drying up. This dryness in many areas of the Everglades National Park has made it so that even the slightest spark can cause everything to go up in flames. 

As of Friday, Aug. 22, the wildfires have burned down over 42,000 acres of the Everglades. According to the Miami-Dade County Fire Department, only 10 percent of the fire has been contained. The fires are increasing in size and intensity at a rapid pace, growing from 1,600 acres on Tuesday all the way up to 42,000 acres by Friday. 

The effects are being felt far from the burn zone. Aventura resident Artemiy Lysov said, “The smoke is very strongly noticeable, and I can barely see through more than 400ft in front.” The Air Quality Index, or AQI, in Fort Lauderdale was reported at a hazardous 230, a stark contrast with the area’s usual average of 47. 

The approach of Hurricane Erin presents a complicated scenario for firefighters. The storm has brought rain and wind, which may help in containing the wildfire spread and improve air quality in the region. The rainfall may also help take some of that smog out of the area. Weather models show it looks like much of the air is being funneled out of the state and into the ocean, which could improve the conditions of Ft. Lauderdale. Miami-Dade County Environmental Resources Management said additional rainfall could saturate the soil and help extinguish the fire.

However, there is a significant downside. Officials warned that strong winds from Hurricane Erin could push the fire in multiple directions, allowing it to jump traditional firebreaks such as roads, highways and concrete structures, making the containment efforts much more difficult.  

While it is not a threat to people at this point, the wildfire has already caused a chunk of the animal population in the Everglades to lose their homes. So far, there have been no injuries or deaths reported from the incident; however, as the fire keeps getting closer to the densely populated cities in Miami-Dade and Broward, county officials have expressed growing concerns about the potential risks to residents. The safety of the citizens in these areas remains a top priority for emergency management teams who are monitoring the situation hourly. 

While the official cause of the fire is currently unknown, the Miami-Dade County fire department speculates that the lightning strikes that were hitting South Florida for the last two weeks may have started this fire. This is a common cause for fires in the region during this time of year. 

In addition to this fire, it was reported that 15 other wildfires have occurred across Florida, most of which were contained before exceeding 250 acres, which is the official threshold for a major wildfire. However, due to the unique nature of the location of the fire deep in the park and the current adverse weather conditions, this fire has been able to expand to the massive size it is now, posing a significant challenge to all responding agencies.