A wildfire burning in the Florida Everglades sent the smell of smoke and haze into the air across South Florida early Wednesday.

Firefighters on Friday continued to battle a massive brush fire in the Everglades that has scorched more than 42,000 acres of land in western Broward County.

In what is now deemed the largest wildfire in Florida this year, the Everglades blaze that has been blowing smoke into Broward County, has grown to 42,000 acres, the Florida Forest Service said Thursday afternoon.

Danielson noted that Everglades wildfires often go unnoticed by the public, and it’s unusual for wind patterns to push smoke into metro areas. But a persistent west-to-southwesterly wind is doing just that, said Chuck Caracozza, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

As a wildfire continues burning through the Everglades west of Broward County, residents and tourists shared their thoughts on the growing flames, which have now burned more than twice the size of Disney World. Angelina De Ridder is visiting Florida from the Netherlands. She told CBS News Miami that this is the first wildfire she's driven through.

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