Dozens of homes have been destroyed, and hundreds of people have been evacuated as wildfires burn through the Florida Panhandle.
The largest fire, which was started by an authorized burn on private property, has burned more than 2,000 acres since starting Monday in Santa Rosa County. As of Wednesday night, the blaze, which has been dubbed the Five Mile Swamp Fire, was 20% contained.
Joe Zwierzchowski, a spokesman for the Florida Forest Service, called the situation a “significant fire event” and noted that high winds and low humidity levels driven by a cold front have helped the fire spread. Santa Rosa County spokeswoman Brandi Bates said dozens of homes had been damaged by the fire, and 336 homes were in the path of the wildfire.
Approximately 1,100 people have been evacuated from their homes in Santa Rosa County. Several roads and portions of Interstate 10 were also closed because of the blaze.
Closely monitoring the fires in Florida’s Panhandle.
Thank you to our brave firefighters for battling these flames and working hard to contain them so our communities can be safe. https://t.co/seTlLfwVts
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) May 7, 2020
Zwierzchowski said crews have been battling the flames by using helicopters to dump water. He also said the state was using bulldozers to till a “ring” around the fire to help contain the blaze.
“It’s similar to a farm plow that turns dirt up,” Zwierzchowski said. “It separates the burning vegetation from the unburning vegetation.”
As of Thursday, the Florida Forest Service was fighting 52 active wildfires burning through more than 7,000 acres across the state.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday morning that he was headed to the county to work with fire crews. He also requested assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help the county address those who have been displaced.
