Adkins Avenue, Bertha Swamp fires under unified command, now “Chipola Complex”

NORTHWEST FLORIDA – The Florida Forest Service’s Blue Incident Management team will assume command of the Adkins Avenue Fire and Bertha Swamp Road Fire on Monday under the name Chipola Complex.

When two or more wildfires are burning close together in the same area, they are often called a “complex” and attacked by firefighters under a unified command.

Bertha Swamp Road Fire:

The Bertha Swamp Road Fire is now estimated at 9,000 acres and remains at 10 percent containment.

This fire has shown significant activity throughout the day yesterday as winds pushed the fire through thick, dry, and dead trees and vegetation left behind from Hurricane Michael.

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Structure crews have been in place near the communities surrounding Bear Creek, south and east of US 231, as wildland firefighters worked to build containment lines to stem the fire’s forward progress.

Residents in the Bear Creek area were put under mandatory evacuation orders on Saturday as the fire pushed from its origin in Gulf County into Bay and Calhoun counties.

There are 17 tractor-plow units working on the fire.

Motorists and residents are encouraged to remain clear of the area and to follow updates from the Bay County Emergency Services on Facebook. Residents can register for emergency notifications at AlertBay.org.

Adkins Avenue Fire:

The Adkins Avenue Fire is now measured at 841 acres and is 35% contained.

Early acreage estimates were hampered by smokey conditions and intense fire activity. As smoke conditions improved, firefighters were able to conduct better mapping.

Gusty winds and erratic fire behavior tested containment lines all day Sunday, and several spot fires occurred outside of the lines. Firefighters quickly attacked to suppress the small spot fires. There are currently five tractor-plow units assigned to the Adkins Avenue Fire.

All evacuation orders for the Adkins Avenue Fire remain in place.

There is no timeline for when residents will be allowed to return home. Motorists and residents are encouraged to remain clear of the area and to follow updates from the Bay County Emergency Services on Facebook. Residents can register for emergency notifications at AlertBay.org.

There are currently 168 wildfires burning 15,300 acres throughout Florida. Florida Forest Service wildland firefighters and resources from numerous fire and emergency service departments are working around the clock to help suppression efforts.

It is important for residents to use extreme caution and remain aware of current wildfire activity. To view active wildfires, visit FDACS.gov/ActiveWildfirePoints. To learn how to prevent and prepare for a wildfire, visit BeWildfireReadyFL.com.