MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Crews are preparing for potential brush fires in the next few days as dry conditions and strong winds create favorable conditions for fires to spread.
National Weather Service Miami forecasters are already fielding calls as the risk intensifies and members of the Florida Forest Service are ready to respond.
Michelle Danielson, a senior forester with the Florida Forest Service’s Everglades District, noted that the region is already seeing activity.
“We have a few active fires that are smaller,” Danielson said.
She added that wildland firefighters are currently on-site, “monitoring and ensuring there is no forward progression.”
Anthony Reynes, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Miami, pointed to weather data showing the immediate threat.
“All these dots are trails moving to the south — those are actual fires that are happening in the area,” Reynes said, showing that there was already a fire in Collier County.
The danger comes as the key ingredients to spark potential brush fires come into alignment: dry soil, relative low humidity, and breezy winds.
“The entire South Florida is under a red flag warning,” Reynes said. “It normally follows several days or weeks of little to no rainfall.”
Reynes said these dangerous conditions often follow weather shifts.
“These dry conditions and strong winds, they are coming behind a cold front that we had yesterday,” he said. “So when we have a cold front passing, that is one of the first clues that we can use that we need to be watching out for red flag warning conditions, which is what we have right now.”
EXPLAINS SENIOR FORECASTER ANTHONY REYNES
The key during a red flag warning is being very mindful about avoiding open flames and sparks, which includes avoiding outdoor barbecues.
“Keep vehicles off dry grass,” Reynes advised. “Make sure you don’t have residential embers because those embers can be blown by the wind and start fires.”
Monday’s red flag warning expires at 7 p.m. Officials stressed that outdoor burning is not recommended at this time.
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