Fire That Blackened 25,000 Acres of Everglades Is Under Control

Firefighters backed up against the last natural barrier between a 4-mile wall of flames and a wildlife preserve said Friday they had controlled the fire, which has blackened 25,000 acres of the drought-crisp Everglades.

Fire had raced across the dry grasslands and leaped a canal but it was beaten back before reaching a levee, the last natural barrier between the flames and the sprawling Big Cypress National Wildlife Preserve, officials said.

Peter Karayeanes, duty officer for the state Division of Forestry, said that the area would be monitored in case of flare-ups.

A heavy downpour around noon Friday missed the center of the fire but it helped firefighters trying to control the last area of violent burning.

“With that rain it slowed it down a little bit, brought the humidity up so right now we have a whole lot of helicopters out here,” said John Kern, of the state Division of Forestry. “We’re going to try to put it out with water.”

Although arson has not been ruled out, investigators believe that the fire was sparked accidentally in an area frequented by people on motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, senior state forester Gene Dempsey said.

Despite the size of the scorched area about 25 miles west of downtown Miami, wildlife officials say the fire has had little effect on animals because the severe drought had already forced most of them to water.

No injuries have been reported from the fire.