Officials in Florida say wildfires raging in the northwest Panhandle area have forced nearly 500 people to evacuate their homes and closed portions of Interstate 10 there.
The Florida Forest service said in a statement that a blaze that broke out Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa County has been named the Five Mile Swamp fire as high winds and low humidity caused it to expand 10 times in size, covering more than 800 hectares.
The Tampa Bay Times newspaper reports the fire started as a prescribed burn to clear dead trees but quickly grew out of control. Multiple local fire departments have responded, and the Forest Service has deployed 18 tractor plows and multiple aircraft to fight the blaze. Photos and video taken in the area show billowing smoke and efforts to extinguish the blaze.
The Forest Service says firefighters are also battling a 233-hectare fire in Walton County to the east. As of late Wednesday, that fire was 25 percent under control.
The service reports multiple structures have been lost in that fire and another 500 residents evacuated.
🚨WILDFIRE UPDATE🚨@FLForestService crews are in day 3 of suppression efforts on the #5MileSwampFire. Additional firefighting personnel & resources are en route to assist.
— FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services (@FDACS) May 6, 2020
I-10 is closed from Exit 22 Avalon Blvd to Exit 31 at Hwy 87.
Follow @FFS_Blackwater for updates. pic.twitter.com/9XWX9iueHr
