May 19, 2008 7:32 am US/Eastern
Wildfires Leave Smoky Haze Over South Florida
MIAMI (CBS) ―
The smell of smoke from an Everglades wildfire burning in Southwest Miami-Dade spread over much of Miami-Dade County and parts of Broward on Sunday. Though the wildfire did not yet pose any threat to residential property, officials warned the heavy smoke could pose health hazards.
The National Weather Service issued a dense smoke advisory from 10 Sunday night until 10 a.m. Monday. As of late Sunday, the Mustang Corner Fire, which started May 14th, had burned approximately 32,821 acres and was only 20-percent contained.
South-southwesterly winds spread a smoky haze from the fires over parts of Miami-Dade and Broward County over the weekend cause some people to seek shelter indoors because of the smell.
"It gave me a big nausea and a head-ache," said Broward resident Matthew Bonior.
The haze is so bad that doctors at Broward General Medical Center said they are seeing a 5 to 10 percent increase in patients suffering from smoke inhalation compared to last week.
Dr. Nabeel el Sanadi told CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami the majority of those patients already have a pre-existing respiratory condition.
"We've seen more people with respiratory ailments showing up and it's probably because of the combination of the heat and the smoke," explained Dr. Nabeel.
Broward 911 Emergency Operation Center said they have received dozens of calls about the smoky haze.
"911 is for emergencies. We don't want to tie up the 911 call takers unnecessarily, for people calling in with smoke in the area calls when we know it's from the brush fires. We are asking the public to uses some good judgment," said BSO spokesman Mike Jachles.
Officials continued to urge people to stay indoors to avoid the potential effects of the smoke, especially those with respiratory ailments.
Joanna Stiegler knows the drill. "You kind of want to stop and go indoors," she said. "You want to get water to clear the throat because the air feels thick in your lungs."
Dr. Ian Russinoff from Broward General Medical Center told WFOR-TV that's normal - and unless you have lung problems already, it's probably not dangerous.
"For the most part it's just going to be eyes burning, and you're going to feel like the airs a little bit dirty and you're not going to feel all that clean and the air you breathe in is not going to be all that fresh," explained Russinoff. "But that should be all it is."
The southwesterly wind is forecast to continue throughout the week, so the smoky or hazy conditions could last for a few days.
A total of about 39,500 acres were burning across the state Sunday, up about 500 acres from Saturday. The majority of fires are in Glades County around Lake Okeechobee and on the coast in Brevard County.
Since January 1st, 2008, 1,173 wildfires have burned across Florida. Most of these fires were caused by human carelessness. However, arson is also a concern. So far this year, 234 fires have been determined to be arson.
The Mustang Corner fire also has officials concerned about two populations of the federally listed endangered species, Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow.
The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow was among the first group of species listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in March 1967. Firefighters are working to ensure that the habitat of the endangered seaside sparrow is protected according to National Park Service officials.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
