Firefighters monitor brush fire

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Firefighters and homeowners are monitoring a brush fire in a South Florida neighborhood.

As of Monday morning, at least 75 percent of the fire had been contained.

On Sunday, a helicopter roared over billowing smoke, dangling a bucket to try and stop the spread of the flames. "We were by US 1," said Alena Ponce, "and we came because we have two dogs here."

Overgrown grass and bushes near Southwest 115th Avenue and 224th Street ignited around 1 p.m., according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. "It's not bad weather," said Mary Collier. "Somebody always do this, every year," she added, as she suspects someone actually ignited the fire.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, there were two fires in the area.

Winds spread orange flames as well as the fear that the fire could jump towards houses in the area. People set up buckets of water just in case and pulled out their own hoses. "Yeah, because what happened was we were afraid to watch," said Ponce. "We thought it was going to jump this way. If the wind turns around, then we will get the fire on this side. It could turn around anytime."

People who live nearby said the school board owns the property, and this kind of fire has plagued them for years. "They never cut it down," said Collier about the brush. "The only time they cut it down is on the side of the road, and that's it. They've got tires, refrigerators, stoves, cars sometimes be stolen, parked up in there. It's dangerous over here. It's not a year that doesn't go by that these bushes burn like this."

The smoke, for the most part, has subsided, and the air has cleared significantly. Firefighters are expected to be on the scene for a few more hours to make sure the fire does not continue to spread. They said, the dry conditions and wind in the area could cause some more problems.

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