Emergency crews ramped up their response Friday as a massive brush fire in South Miami-Dade County continued to spread, burning more than 26,000 acres in a week. With much of the fire inaccessible to ground crews, officials deployed additional aerial support to combat the flames.

A brush fire in southern Miami-Dade grew to an estimated 24,000 acres by Thursday afternoon, prompting officials to close roads and warn the public of the potential for smoky conditions.

FLORIDA CITY, Fla. – Firefighters made progress battling a large brush fire in south Miami-Dade Saturday morning. Officials at a makeshift staging area just before the 18-Mile Stretch of U.S. 1 said their main goal, besides battling the wildfire, is to keep the roads open and to contain it to the area it’s at now.