The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

The St. Lucie County Fire District and Florida Forest Service officials are working through the Glades Mulch Fire after a lightning strike sparked it last Thursday.

"It’s a combination of things, it wasn’t just a simple lightning strike. It was a lightning strike, and the fuels were ready to go up. So, everything out here is ready to burn," said David Grubich, forest area supervisor of Florida Forest Service.

Your Neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News

Officials expect smoke to be around for the next few weeks, if not a month or longer. They said 28 acres along the Glades Cutoff and Range Line Roads have been 100% contained.

"With the unprecedented drought that we’ve had, the fuels were actually dry and receptive. The fuels being the piles themselves," Grubich said. "You have that crust layer on top which is the ash. Everything underneath it is the conductive fire where it’s actually hot and glowing like a furnace. And everything underneath that, the fuels underneath are now turning to charcoal from the radiant heat."

Video below: Full press conference

The contained plot of land is where contractors would dispose of wood that would be cleared off to build properties.

Officials said contractors will continue to stir up the debris to bring oxygen inside the mulch piles to burn them off.

Neighbors down the road described what they've been seeing and smelling the past few days.

The latest: Weather coverage from WPBF 25 News

"Burnt beef jerky, and the first day when I saw it, I saw a big cloud of smoke," Jayson Herrera, a resident, told WPBF 25 News.

"I did change the filters in the house just in case," Enrique Herrera, Jayson's father, said.

While rain may help temporarily, officials said the mulch will burn until it hits the water table or bare mineral soil.

Officials said peak times for smoke are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and depending on the direction of the wind and times, smoke can spread to Tradition and PGA Verano communities.

"So moving into our dry season, we’re already dry, and it’s going to increase our chances for brush fires and stuff. So, we really need our residents in the county to be cautious of that," said Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Lee of the St. Lucie County Fire District.

Fire rescue was called to about 70 service calls this week in regard to respiratory issues.

"You’re going to have slight irritation of your throat and nasal areas. Those are normal, those are going to happen. But it’s when you have real respiratory issues, you have difficulty breathing, that’s when you need to call 911," Lee said.

Some guidelines from fire officials:

Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.