Brush fires continue to send smoke into South Florida skies

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Three brush fires in Miami-Dade County continued to send smoke into South Florida skies on Friday.

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One of the wildfires, dubbed “Quarry 2,” east of Krome Avenue, has been the most widespread, burning more than 17,000 acres as of Friday.

Ash from three brush fires drifted for miles during the week.

Patrick Mahoney, with the Florida Forest Service, said the weather hasn’t helped.

“Heat and wind has been an issue, but also the drought,” he said. “I mean, it’s still very dry through here.”

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Bad conditions led to crews across several agencies working around the clock to stop the blaze from spreading from above. Helicopters dumped buckets of water on the inferno.

“Our firefighters are doing a great job,” Mahoney said. “This is what we train for. This is what we do.”

On Thursday, a firefighter with the FFS was rushed to an area hospital after a heat-related episode, but he’s expected to be OK.

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