A lethal combination of low humidity and strong winds caused two major wildfires to blaze through the Florida Panhandle over the weekend. The larger of the two wildfires, the Bertha Swamp Road Fire, which started Saturday, had burned 9,000 acres (14 square miles) and was only 10% contained as of Sunday afternoon. As of Monday morning, the Florida Forest Service reported that the fire had grown to cover 12,000 acres and was 20% contained.
The second wildfire, the Adkins Avenue fire, which started Friday and is also called the Bay County Fire, spanned 1,400 acres, and as of Sunday was 40% contained, according to the Florida Fire Service. The Adkins Fire is believed to have been started by residents who lost control of a trash burn due to the heavy winds and dry conditions.
As a result of the two fires, around 1,100 homes in the Bay County were evacuated and a state of emergency was declared in Bay County, as well as Calhoun County and Gulf County on Saturday.
“Right now, the main focus is, of course, is getting the fire contained, but we are marshaling assets and we will provide whatever the folks here in northwest Florida (need),” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a conference Saturday.
Officials reported that the Adkins Fire destroyed two homes and damaged 12 others on Friday. No damage caused by the Bertha Swamp Road Fire has been reported. According to the Bay County Emergency Services Twitter page, no first responders or citizens have been harmed by the blazes.
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This is far from the first natural disaster to strike the area. In 2020, similar weather conditions caused two wildfires also near Pensacola and Panama City Beach. Additionally, much of the timber burning during this year’s wildfires are the remnants of damage caused by category five Hurricane Michael in 2018. To stay up to date on the latest wildfire developments, follow the Florida Forest Service and Bay County Emergency Services Facebook pages.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the first responders, firefighters, and residents of the Florida Panhandle as they continue to battle these destructive fires!
