Residents forced out of homes amid wildfire threat
Authorities unsure of when people will be able to return
Huge wildfires in the Florida Panhandle forced veterans in a nursing home to evacuate Sunday alongside residents of more than 1,000 homes in an area still recovering from a Category 5 hurricane three years ago.
Firefighters battled the 3,640hectare Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 340-hectare Adkins Avenue fire, which have threatened homes and forced residents of at least 1,100 houses in Bay County, Fla., to flee over the weekend. The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the larger Bertha Swamp Road fire “a big boy,” at a news conference in Panama City on Sunday. “It’s moving very quickly.”
On Sunday, a third fire developed, forcing the evacuation of a 120-bed, state-operated nursing home in Panama City. Public transit was being used to move the residents at the Clifford Chester Sims State Veterans’ Nursing Home. Buses also were on standby in case 1,300 inmates at a nearby jail needed to be evacuated to other facilities.
Hurricane Michael in 2018 left behind millions of tonnes of destroyed trees that have provided fuel for the Bay County wildfires, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Authorities say they don’t know when people will be able to return to their homes. The county opened a shelter for displaced residents.
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. Fire officials initially said it was 1,400 acres (567 hectares) but adjusted the size downward Sunday afternoon.
The Bertha Swamp Fire started in neighbouring Gulf County on Friday but spread to Bay and Calhoun counties Saturday. It was 10 per cent contained as of Sunday.