Wildfires rage in Florida: Hundreds displaced by fires in Panhandle

Two wildfires continue to rage across the Florida Panhandle. The same area that was destroyed by Hurricane Michael in 2018 and left hundreds of trees down is now being affected by extensive wildfires. The downed trees have served as fuel for the fires to burn.

The Bertha Swamp Rd fire, which by Sunday extended over 8,000 acres, and the Adkins Avenue fire (1,400 acres), have forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents in Bay County.

The Atkins fire has already destroyed the structures and damaged several homes on Friday. Fortunately, they have not been any injuries reported. A shelter has been opened at the Bay County Fairgrounds for those displaced by the fires. The Adkins fire it's only 35% contained as of Sunday morning.

The Bertha Swamp fire started in Gulf county on Friday but since then has spread into Bay and Calhoun Counties over the weekend. As of Sunday morning, this fire is only 10% contained and continues to rage.

The weather has not really helped the fires throughout the weekend. Temperatures have been warm, and although humidity is increasing the lack of rain continues to be an issue across the Florida Panhandle. Also, winds have been gusty at times which has made it much harder for firefighters to battle these fires.

As of Sunday, there are other 150 wildfires burning across Florida totaling more than 12,000 acres. This week, our Weather&Radar meteorologists wrote about how the drought has gotten much worse across much of the state in the last month. You can read this note here.

As the dry season continues across the Sunshine State we expect wildfires to pick up activity. Wildfire season goes year-round in Florida but the peak happens during May and June. Rain is likely to arrive on Tuesday morning as clouds will begin to build by Monday evening with a low-pressure system that will be swinging nearby. Better chances for widespread rain come on Wednesday, but will also arrive with the chance for thunderstorms that will include lightning risk through Thursday morning.