Apr 29, 2008 5:51 pm US/Eastern
Prisoners Return To Metro West After Brush Fire
Fire Burned 160 Acres
High Risk Prisoners Remained Inside The Jail
WEST MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) ―
The brush fire that torched a stretch of land in West-Miami-Dade Monday reignited on Tuesday, but is now mostly out, according to Division of Forestry crews who spent the day putting out hot spots.
Nearly 400 prisoners from the Metro West Detention Center were transferred as a precaution to other Miami-Dade and Broward County jails, but they have since returned, according to CBS4 Liv Davalos.
"We'll do 'mop up', meaning within a certain distance of the control lines that we put in, we go and put any hot spots out and reduce the risk of flaring up and coming out," said Fred Boehm of Florida Division of Forestry.
The fire broke out Monday afternoon near Northwest 137th Avenue and Northwest 17th Street; dangerously close to the county's jail facility and Florida's Detention and Reception Center.
"The fire burned roughly within 100 yards of the facility," said Boehm. "It did come close, yes it was definitely closer than we would like.'
Officials are still on scene putting out any remaining hot spots and may stay to monitor the area as a precaution.
"Security and safety, that is what we look at mostly," said Janelle Hall with Miami Dade Corrections. "We have our contingency plans in place and we follow them to the best of our abilities."
Some of the inmates were housed overnight in the Turner Gilford Knight Correctional Facility near Miami International Airport; others spent the night at the Broward Sheriff's Office facility.
The Metro West facility houses 2500 inmates; those deemed high risk were not evacuated.
A view from Chopper 4 showed there were a number of hot spots. Forestry officials say the smoldering areas are mainly in the interior of the burned area and should not pose a real threat to the jail or the nearby community.
No injuries have been reported so far.
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