Wildfires rage in Florida Panhandle, forcing evacuations

Wildfires burning in the Florida Panhandle’s swampland this week have destroyed more than a dozen homes and forced at least 500 people to evacuate in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials say the three blazes in northwest Florida have been exacerbated by winds and dry weather conditions, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times.

One fire in Santa Rosa County, which tore through 2,000 acres and shut down nine miles of Interstate 10, was just 20 percent contained when officials gave a 9 p.m. press conference Wednesday night.

Nicknamed the Five Mile Swamp Fire, the blaze began as a prescribed burn on private property Monday, but it quickly went out of control.

WILDFIRE UPDATE@FLForestService crews are in day 3 of suppression efforts on the #5MileSwampFire. Additional firefighting personnel & resources are en route to assist.

I-10 is closed from Exit 22 Avalon Blvd to Exit 31 at Hwy 87.

Follow @FFS_Blackwater for updates. pic.twitter.com/9XWX9iueHr

— FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services (@FDACS) May 6, 2020

Crews battling Five Mile Swamp wildfire south of Milton near I-10. Interstate is shut down in both directions for nearly ten miles. Some residents in Garcon Point area are being asked to evacuate pic.twitter.com/naiFpyhWcF

— Cody Long (@WKRGCodyLong) May 6, 2020

Live from Santa Rosa as the Five Mile Swamp Fire continues to burn closer to beachfront properties in Panama and Destin. #fivemileswampfire #panamacity #destin #santarosabeach #dailynews pic.twitter.com/sBnGRiq2EA

— SpeakClear (@SpeakClear1) May 7, 2020

Two other wildfires are also burning in the panhandle.

The Hurst Hammock fire, in nearby Escambia County, had burned 60 acres as of Wednesday and was 40 percent contained, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Another blaze in Santa Rosa County burned an additional 70 acres and was 20 percent contained.

The National Weather Service warned that low humidity, gusty winds and ongoing drought conditions could promote the fires, causing the agency to issue a red flag warning on Wednesday.

What is needed for a wildfire to start? Dry conditions and wind. Our forecast has the right amount of dryness and wind, especially in #SWFL. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect tomorrow for inland Lee and Charlotte counties. Be sure to do your part and follow local rules #flwx pic.twitter.com/qEth8Fs8Oq

— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) May 7, 2020

National Weather Service meteorologist Jack Cullen told the Tampa Bay Times that the region is five inches below its typical rainfall for the year but pointed toward wind for Wednesday’s blaze.

“Pensacola’s drought condition is abnormally dry,” he said. “What made this [fire] today was the wind, to go along with the dry conditions and low humidity.”