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Lightning became a hazard in parts of south Florida on Sunday, damaging a runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and sparking a fire that forced a major roadway to shut down.

More than two dozen flights were diverted by a round of severe storms in Fort Lauderdale that closed a runway for an hour on Sunday afternoon, CBS Miami reported. During those thunderstorms, a lightning strike punctured several small holes in the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale's busiest hub, causing planes to back up until storms subsided and crews could safely repair the damage.

"Cloud-to-ground lightning was observed 'overhead' at Fort Lauderdale International Airport for 43 minutes Sunday," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. He added that there were numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes near the airport in a one-hour period.

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Northwest of Fort Lauderdale, a 3,000-acre brush fire burned in the Everglades on Sunday night – a blaze that was blamed on lightning, according to a Sun-Sentinel report.

The fire forced authorities to close a portion of U.S. 27 from South Bay to north of Interstate 75, a distance of about 40 miles, the report added. The highway reopened at 9 a.m. Monday morning, according to the Miami Herald, but residents were warned that the dense smoke could create health problems.

Residents were told to stay inside until the smoke dissipates, the Herald also reported. "Smoke from wildfires may cause coughing, a scratchy throat, irritated sinuses, shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, stinging eyes and a runny nose," the Broward County Health Department said.

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The Sun-Sentinel also noted Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has fielded more than 50 calls about smoke since the fire was sparked.

Florida is the state with more lightning strikes than any other, by a large margin. Chris Dolce, weather.com meteorologist, notes that Florida receives more than 25 lightning strikes per square mile every year, five strikes per square mile more than runner-up Louisiana.

So far in 2014, there have been five lightning deaths in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. Three of those five deaths occurred in Florida, and all five fatalities were men.