Homestead Brush Fire Scorches 300 Acres
MIAMI (CBS4) – Florida Forestry Service workers are keeping an eye on an lightning sparked brush fire which as burned at least 300 acres in Homestead.
The "Turkey West Fire" is burning north of SW 344 Street and east of SW 117 Ave.
"If we get a lightning strike outside the main rainfall area, then this is going to happen," said Scott Peterich, a wildfire mitigation specialist with the Florida Forest Service.
As of Wednesday morning the fire was about 50% contained, Peterich said.
"Knowing that we couldn't stop this fire, and it's going to continue to creep the next several days, our incident commander checking with the Weather Service and dispatch decided the best thing to do was to go ahead and burn it out," Peterich said.
No homes are in danger and the road is passable.
Peterich told CBS 4's Lauren Pastrana the forecast calls for wind shift later this week which could put power lines in the line of the fire.
"Our biggest concern was the high voltage power lines from Florida Power and Light coming out of the Turkey Point power plant," he explained.
The wildfire risk will remain high in South Florida until we get into the rainy season which is still weeks away.
