Florida wildfire update: +28k acres burnt, weather not helping

The Bertha Swamp fire located just east of Panama City in Bay County and extending over Calhoun and Gulf counties continues to rage. The strong winds on Monday made the task much harder for firefighters. The winds could gust up to 20 mph on Tuesday afternoon, but there will also be an increase in cloud coverage, with rising humidity in the area.

As of Tuesday morning, the Bertha Swamp fire has burnt 28,109 acres and it is only 10% contained. The Adkins fire is now 50% contained and burning 875 acres. A small fire called Star Rd fire is 250 acres and is 60% contained.

The weather will help the firefighter a bit Tuesday as the humidity will be increasing with clouds and some isolated showers also passing over the area.

The winds will shift on Wednesday afternoon, coming from the west around 15 mph in response to a low-pressure system that will be passing nearby, pushing a cold front. Expect showers and storms to become more numerous starting Wednesday morning through the afternoon hours. There could be some lightning striking nearby which could halt fire operations through the afternoon, but hopefully, the rain will suffice in putting a dent in the fires.

There was a huge amount of dead vegetation that have fueled the fires in this area. The debris was left after Hurricane Michael impacted the area. Over 1,000 homes have been evacuated and residents have been displaced due to the wildfires affecting the Florida Panhandle.