The Associated Press
MIAMI — Officials are evacuating a Miami prison that is in the path of a fire that has been burning for several hours.
Fire rescue workers have been battling the fire since 12:30 p.m. Monday. Lt. Elkin Sierra of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says the winds changed direction late in the afternoon and are now in the direction of Metro West Detention Center. The fire is about half a mile away from the prison.
Corrections spokeswoman Janelle Hall says the prison’s 2,634 male inmates will be distributed among other facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Space is not expected to be a problem.
The area around the prison - in northwest Miami-Dade County - is sparsely populated.