PANAMA CITY, Fla. (Washington Insider Magazine) – Massive wildfires in the Florida Panhandle prompted veterans in a care facility and inhabitants of over 1,000 houses to evacuate on Sunday, in an area still recuperating from a Category 5 storm 3 years ago.
Over the weekend, firefighters fought the 841-acre (340-hectare) Adkins Avenue wildfire and the 9,000-acre (approximately 3,642-hectare) Bertha Swamp Road fire in Bay County, Florida, which endangered homes and prompted inhabitants of at least 1,100 homes to escape. Late Friday, a fire on Adkins Avenue torched two houses and harmed another 12 dwellings.
A 3rd fire broke out on Sunday, prompting the evacuation of a state-run nursing facility in Panama City. Residents living at the Clifford Chester Sims State Veterans’ Nursing Home were moved via public transportation. According to ABC NEWS, buses were also on waiting in case the 1,300 convicts at the neighboring Bay County Prison were required to be moved to other institutions.
According to the Florida Forest Service, Hurricane Michael in 2018 left nearly 72 million tonnes of damaged trees, which produced fuel for the Bay County wildfires. In the United States, the storm was primarily liable for 16 fatalities and $25 billion in destruction.
Local officials say they have no idea when people will be allowed to return home. For displaced people, the county established a temporary shelter at the Bay County Fairgrounds.
The Adkins Avenue wildfire in Bay County has been raging since Friday, requiring the relocation of at least 600 houses, and it was only 35% controlled on Sunday. Officials first estimated the fire to be 1,400 acres (567 hectares), but later lowered the estimate on Sunday afternoon.
The Bertha Swamp Wildfire, which started in nearby Gulf County on Friday but extended to Bay and Calhoun counties on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of thousands more people. As of Sunday, it has been confined to 10%.
Since Friday, Florida Forest Department helicopters have poured more than 103,000 gallons (468,000 liters) of water on the Adkins Avenue wildfire, while 25 bulldozers cleared fire lines. To put out the fires, firefighters from all around Florida were dispatched to the area.
Currently, approximately 150 wildfires are blazing across Florida, consuming over 12,100 acres (about 4,900 hectares), although the state is mostly in the early stages of its wildfire season.
