Officials are evacuating detainees from the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade due to the brush fires burning nearby, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Tuesday.
ICE said the evacuation started over the weekend “out of an abundance of caution… due to brush fires burning around the detention center.”
“Detainees have been transferred to other ICE facilities in and outside the State of Florida,” officials added. “ICE officers are trained for this kind of situation, and the evacuation is being completed in an orderly fashion with no incidents to report. ICE will continue to work with the Florida Forest Service to closely monitor any situation as it may arise.”
According to officials, three fires remain active.
The largest, the Quarry 2 Fire, has burned more than 19,000 acres and is now 97% contained.
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The Well Fire grew to 2,809 acres and is 85% contained, and the Corrections Fire has burned 305 acres and is 15% contained, the Florida Forest Service said.
The fires have also prompted air quality alerts for parts of Miami-Dade.
Krome is located on the edge of the Florida Everglades and is the United States’ oldest immigration detention facility. It has a capacity of around 600 detainees.
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