The two wildfires burning in the Everglades, prompting an air-quality alert for Broward County, have combined and grown tenfold, burning over 19,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon, according to the Florida Forest Service.

There are currently no structures at risk as the fire stems from sawgrass burning. The fire was at 0% containment, as of Wednesday afternoon.

The fires, which led the National Weather Service Miami to issue an air-quality alert beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through 9 a.m. Thursday, started on Monday evening, said the FFS. The alert is for the entire county as the winds move the smoke eastward.

As of Wednesday morning, the Mile Marker 39 Fire burned 1,600 acres, and the Sawgrass Fire, 250 acres, the National Weather Service Miami reported. Those two fires have now combined and burned more than 19,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service recommends that vulnerable populations, including people with respiratory conditions, limit their time outdoors.

The fire is being fueled by northwesterly winds, which are pushing smoke toward Broward and Miami-Dade, said Meteorologist Sammy Hadi with the National Weather Service in Miami.

Broward will get the brunt of the smoke; Miami-Dade residents can expect hazy skies and the smell of smoke.

“The smoke from these fires will be blown to the southeast toward Broward and Miami-Dade counties,” Hadi said, adding that skies will remain hazy through the day with “potential for periods of time with reduced visibility.”

Impact in southwest Broward

Areas in southwest Broward, including Miramar, Pembroke Pines and Weston, are the most affected. But conditions may change in the evening.

“Overnight … the wind will shift more westerly and southwesterly, which could open up more Broward County to smoke,” Hadi said, pointing to Plantation, Tamarac, and Margate as potentially impacted.

Hadi explained that smoke tends to linger near the ground in the morning due to an atmospheric inversion, but as winds pick up, the smoke rises. That improves surface-level air quality, though the haze remains noticeable.

Visibility low at airports

At North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, visibility got down to two to three miles of visibility in the early morning, said Hadi. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, visibility was down to five miles.

Visibility will improve as the smoke rises in the afternoon, said Hadi, though shifting wind patterns could change that.

Visibility on the roads throughout the night will not be largely impacted, said NWS Miami’s meteorologist Anthony Reyes. But motorists who are going west on I-75 near Alligator Alley have to be extra cautious.

Hurricane Erin will also come into play as far as how winds will push the smoky air, Hadi explained. “It will begin to veer as Erin continues to push further away. The wind will shift from a northwesterly direction to a westerly in the southwesterly direction.”