'Stubborn' Florida wildfire ignites over 600 acres, threatening homes and forcing evacuations
Twenty homes have been evacuated in Bay County, Florida, after a wildfire spread approximately 678 acres over the weekend. The fire is burning near Allanton, Florida, at County Road 2207 and Old Allanton Road.
The fire was reported to the Florida Forest Service on Saturday, March 30, at 5:15 p.m. at 3 to 5 acres of heavy blown down timber, according to a Florida Forest Service update on Sunday. The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement investigators confirmed Monday that the cause of the fire was an escaped debris burn.
The fire was 50 percent contained at 15 acres as of 6 p.m. on Saturday, but strong winds caused the fire to flare up dramatically to approximately 100 acres by 7 p.m. Gusty northerly winds pushed the fire south on Sunday, according to the Florida Forest Service, which described the fire as "stubborn."
There were a couple of brief showers on Sunday, which did not amount to much, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said. Florida Forest Service crews reported feeling light rain while combating the flames on Sunday.
We often hear that firefighters have “contained” a wildfire by a certain percentage as they battle the blaze. But what does that mean?
The fire is located about 13 miles southeast of Panama City, Florida, near where Hurricane Michael made landfall on Oct. 10, 2018. Michael's powerful winds destroyed thousands of square miles of timberland in Florida and Georgia.
The fire burns in a swampy area, making access to fire equipment difficult, according to the Florida Forest Service.
Also reportedly causing an issue are downed trees from Michael, which have complicated firefighting efforts, according to WPLG. Bay County was one of the hardest hit regions from the Category 4 storm.
On Sunday, the Florida Forest Service had 24 firefighters, 14 firefighting bulldozers and two aircraft on the scene, as well as numerous Bay County Emergency personnel and equipment.
The wildfire was 50 percent contained at 668 acres as of around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to the Chipola Fire Service. The Florida Forest Service planned to patrol and improve lines throughout Sunday night.
On Monday, the fire remain contained at 50 percent at 678 acres. The Florida Forest Service used 12 firefighting bulldozers to build and improve fire lines, as well as engines to mop up hot spots.
By Monday evening, the fire was up to 75 percent contained and holding at 668 acres.
The crews reported a short, very light rain around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The fire crew was able to maintain the blaze at 75 percent at 668 acres into Tuesday morning.
On Wednesday morning, the Florida Fire Service Chipola District tweets that the fire is 80 percent contained at 668.6 acres. The Florida Forest Service dozer crews continue to widen and improve fire lines Wednesday, while the wildland engines mop up along the fire perimeter.
The Chipola district reports that only light smoke is observed in the area on Wednesday morning.
Dry conditions will persist into Wednesday and Thursday, but winds should not be a factor.
If the fire remains into later this week, “another round of showers is possible Thursday night or Friday. This system looks more potent and could provide significant rain,” Kines said.
Report a Typo
