Florida Panhandle wildfires near 10,000 acres, additional resources deployed

NORTHWEST FLORIDA – The Florida Forest Service (FFS) continues to fight two large wildfires in the Panhandle today as dry, windy weather persists in the region and fire danger levels remain elevated.

Officials are deploying all available resources, including an additional four helicopters from the Florida National Guard, to contain the Adkins Avenue Fire in Bay County and the Bertha Swamp Road Fire in Gulf County. Currently, there are nearly 150 wildfires burning more than 12,100 acres throughout the state.

Adkins Avenue Fire:

The Adkins Avenue Fire is holding at 1,400 acres and is 35 percent contained. Florida Forest Service helicopters have dropped more than 103,000 gallons of water on the fire since Friday.

There are 25 tractor-plow units working to build fire lines around the blaze and prevent further spread. The heavy fuels have been fanned by high winds over the last 24 hours. High winds are expected to continue today with a forecast at 25 mph.

All evacuation orders 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.

Florida Forest Service wildland firefighters and resources from numerous fire and emergency service departments are working in unified command around the clock to help suppression efforts. Crews will continue to work to strengthen containment lines, protect homes and monitor the wildfires.

In 2018, Hurricane Michael left behind an additional threat to the Florida Panhandle – a wildfire threat. The Category 5 storm destroyed 2.8 million acres, or 72 million tons, of trees across 11 counties in the Florida Panhandle. These are some of the most forested counties in the state. Due to the exponential volume of broken, uprooted and blown over trees, dense pockets of vegetation remain on the ground and serve as fuel for wildfires.

Bertha Swamp Road Fire:

The 8,000-acre Bertha Swamp Road Fire is currently 10 percent contained and has shown increased activity early this morning.

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.

The fire was driven by strong winds and is burning through thick, dead trees and vegetation left behind from Hurricane Michael.

The Florida Forest Service has 17 tractor-plow units attacking the Bertha Swamp Road 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.

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.

The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres.