Editor's note: This updates with the most recent size estimate for the wildfire.
The National Fire, which is currently burning through Big Cypress National Preserve in Southern Florida, has grown from 5,000 acres to 24,000 acres over approximately 48 hours. The National Park Service says persistent drought conditions and recent frost damage have created an unusually heavy and highly receptive fuel bed that is allowing the fire to spread quickly.
Big Cypress is located approximately 45 miles west of Miami and approximately 57 miles east of Naples. The National Fire is zero percent contained, and its smoke is affecting Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley), State Road 29, and U.S. Route 41 (Tamiami Trail), major roadways that visitors use to reach the preserve. The Park Service notes that a forecasted wind shift could cause reduced visibility and increase the potential for temporary roadway closures.
Firefighters on the National Wildfire are continuing suppression efforts and are actively working to establish and reinforce a containment perimeter defined by:
• South of I-75
• East of SR 29
• North of Lower and Upper Wagon Wheel
• West of Turner River Road
The firefighting operations are intended to remove unburned fuels ahead of the advancing fire to reduce risk to infrastructure and public safety. On Thursday, February 26, local fire managers will transfer command of the National Fire to the Southern Area Gray Team, an interagency incident management team.
Two other fires are also affecting the area, though they are significantly smaller. The Regal Fire was measured at 116 acres on February 24, while the Grand Fire was affecting only 0.8 acres.
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