Hundreds of hopefuls line up for 35 Miami firefighter jobs

The Miami Herald reports:

In just under 12 hours Monday, the chance to become a Miami firefighter disappeared.

More than 1,000 applicants had stood in line -- many of them camping out overnight -- to apply for 35 firefighter jobs that offer $46,000 a year, plus benefits. The city started taking applications from those who qualified at 8 a.m.

They stopped accepting the applications at 7:50 p.m., when they hit their limit of prospective firefighters -- 750, city spokeswoman Kelly Penton said.

''We've never had this kind of turnout,'' Penton said. ``This is unprecedented.''