Firefighters and emergency workers are battling two massive wildfires in an area of the Florida Panhandle still recovering from destruction caused by a Category 5 hurricane more than three years ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 8000-acre (3237-hectare) Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 340-hectare Adkins Avenue fire threatened homes and forced the evacuation of residents of at least 750 homes in Bay County, Florida over the weekend.
The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late on Friday. Local emergency official said no homes were destroyed and there were no injuries on Saturday, the second day of battling the Adkins Avenue fire.
On Sunday, a 120-bed, state-operated nursing home for veterans in Panama City was evacuated as fire encroached nearby. Public transit was being used to move the residents at the Clifford Chester Sims State Veterans' Nursing Home.
Local authorities said they didn't know when residents would be able to return to their homes.
"It is NOT safe to return home at this time. Please be patient as first responders battle these dangerous fires," Bay County officials posted online.
The county opened a shelter at the Bay County Fairgrounds for displaced residents.
"We understand and recognise that everyone is anxious to go back home, and that it has been a huge inconvenience," said Valerie Sale, a Bay County spokeswoman.
The Adkins Avenue fire has been burning in Bay County since Friday, forcing the evacuation of at least 600 homes, and it was 35 per cent contained Sunday morning.
The much-larger Bertha Swamp Fire started in neighbouring Gulf County on Friday but spread to Bay and Calhoun counties on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of another 150 homes. It was 10 per cent contained as of Sunday morning.
Hurricane Michael in 2018 was directly responsible for 16 deaths and about $US25 billion in damage in the US, and it left behind 72 million tons of destroyed trees that have provided fuel for the Bay County wildfires, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Currently, there are nearly 150 wildfires burning more 4900 hectares throughout Florida, and the state is only at the very beginning of its wildfire season.
"It is incredibly dry throughout the state and typically we see this kind of activity in the months of April and May," Zwierzchowski said.
"Seeing it in early March really gives us an indication of what the fire season is going to be like."
Australian Associated Press
