Smoky skies and poor air quality continue as 3 Miami-Dade brush fires rage on

Milena Malaver, Miami Herald on Jun 20, 2026

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MIAMI — As three brush fires continue to burn in Miami-Dade County, residents can expect more of the same conditions they’ve seen all week: dark, smoky plumes overhead, poor air quality and intermittent road closures.

The fires have prompted The Miami-Dade County Division of Environmental Resources Management and the Broward County Natural Resources Division to issue an air quality alert. The alert is in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday.

A lightning strike is to blame for the more than 20,000 acres that have burned since June 14.

The original fire ignited in grassy flats near Krome Avenue during a thunderstorm before splitting into the Quarry 2 fire and the Wells fire. The Quarry 2 fire has grown to 19,000 acres and is 97% contained, while the Wells fire has burned 1,425 acres and is 70% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.

The Quarry 2 fire began near Northwest 137th Avenue and Northwest 41st Street, while the Wells fire started near Northwest 122nd Avenue and Northwest 58th Street.

“As weather and wind conditions change, residents and visitors in the community may continue seeing or smelling smoke, and nearby roadways may experience smoky or hazy conditions,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue wrote in a Saturday morning update.

Southbound lane closures on Florida’s Turnpike from Okeechobee Road to Northwest 41st Street have reopened. Krome Avenue remains closed from Okeechobee Road to Southwest Eighth Street and is expected to reopen later Saturday, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Trail Glades, a public shooting range located off Krome Avenue by Tamiami Trail that’s operated by Miami-Dade County Parks, announced it was remaining closed on Sunday.

A third blaze in the Everglades, dubbed the Coptic fire, began Wednesday after another lightning strike. It has since grown to nearly 5,000 acres and is 40% contained.

As Florida remains in a drought that is expected to persist through the summer, experts say it doesn’t take much for brush fires like these to ignite and spread.

“It’s going to take multiple rainstorms to get out of the drought,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill told the Miami Herald on Thursday.

For now, any rainfall over the West Miami-Dade fires would help emergency crews that have been working around the clock to contain the flames.

“We definitely need rainfall,” National Weather Service Miami meteorologist Chris Fisher said Saturday.

Rain chances of 50% to 60% are forecast for Saturday and Sunday, but it’s unclear whether those showers will fall over the fires, Fisher said.

According to AirNow, the U.S. government program that provides real-time and forecast air quality information, all of Miami-Dade County is under a “moderate” air quality rating. That comes as the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Saturday, with heat index values expected to reach as high as 110 degrees.

If smoke affects your area, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue advises limiting time outdoors, keeping doors and windows closed, and setting air conditioning systems to recirculate.

The fires have also prompted some residents to evacuate. More than 200 people voluntarily left their trailer park community near Krome Avenue, officials said on Wednesday. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office announced on Saturday that evacuees of Jones Fish Camp are allowed to return to their homes.