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crew working saturdays bay county wildfire Which has consumed at least 1,400 acres in the Florida panhandle, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference.
“Right now, the main focus, of course, is controlling the fire, but we’re marshalling the property and whatever we’ll provide to the people here in Northwest Florida [need]DeSantis said.
The Florida Forest Service (FFS) said in a press release that Friday’s fire was 30 percent under control.
Officials said around 600 houses have been evacuated. The FFS indicated that two houses were destroyed and 12 more were damaged.
The FFS said the cause of the fire is being investigated, and a burn ban has been issued for Bay County.
Bay County Sheriff Tom Ford said at a news conference Friday that the fire started when someone was burning garbage in their backyard and that the flames got out of hand.
Bay County Emergency Services Chief Brad Monroe said at a Saturday news conference that the size and force of the fire was “hard to describe” and that Friday’s fire took place “in less than an hour.”
Officials say that in addition to low humidity and strong winds, fuel and leftover debris on land from Hurricane Michael contributed to its intensification in 2018.
Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried told reporters Saturday that Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane, “broke down, uprooted 2.8 million acres of trees.”
“These extra fuel and dense pockets of vegetation from Hurricane Michael increased the intensity of wildfires and can be difficult to suppress at times,” Fried said.
Fried urged residents not to burn trash or yard garbage in their backyards.
Florida Disaster and Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said several state agencies are working on the fire.
“The Florida National Guard is bringing in crew to activate four helicopters should we need that asset,” Guthrie said, adding that two strike teams are on stand-by.
Residents evacuated on Friday are not allowed to return to their homes, Ford told reporters on Saturday. Shelters are available and pets are allowed.
There are approximately 175,000 permanent residents in Bay County’s 748 square miles. Major tourist destination Panama City is its largest city.
There are currently 143 active wildfires burning approximately 4,700 acres across Florida, including the 1,600-acre Bertha Swamp Fire in Gulf County, the FFS said in the release.