Smoke from Broward grassfire drifts toward US 27, Sawgrass Expressway

Smoke from a grassfire in rural Broward County drifted north-northeast and was affecting US 27, with some of the plume also reaching the northern extent of the Sawgrass Expressway, Phil Ferro said. Ferro said rain was moving north and could move over the blaze shortly, and no injuries were reported.

The smoke mattered most for drivers on the west Broward corridor, where a sudden shift in wind can cut visibility fast on US 27 and the Sawgrass Expressway. If the haze thickened before rain arrived, traffic on those stretches could face abrupt slowdowns, and fire and traffic managers would have to decide quickly whether warnings or road restrictions were needed.

Ferro’s alert came against a familiar backdrop in Broward’s Everglades. NBC 6 South Florida described a separate fire burning west of U.S. 27 and about 10 miles north of Interstate 75, while other recent reports have shown how quickly flames and smoke can spread across the same broad corridor. One Local 10 update said a brush fire near the Sawgrass Expressway grew to more than 5,000 acres and was 50% contained after lightning sparked it. Another Broward fire report said smoke from a wildfire reached nearly 200 acres and was visible from the Sawgrass Expressway.

Ferro later said a brush fire just west of US 27 that had been burning for days was 100% contained. He also warned that conditions remained extremely dry across southeast Florida and that the rainy season starts next month, when thunderstorms and lightning can ignite new blazes.

That combination keeps the focus on commuter safety as much as on firefighting. A smoke plume moving over US 27 and the northern Sawgrass Expressway can turn a routine drive into a visibility problem in minutes, especially if the wind shifts before rain crosses the blaze. Drivers who run into smoke should slow down, turn on headlights, and get fully off the road if visibility drops. Broward crews were left watching a corridor that has repeatedly shown how fast an Everglades fire can reach major roadways.