Clay County Fire Rescue sent a crew to the panhandle wildfires as part of a regional task force Saturday.
At press time, the Adkins Avenue Fire, Bertha Swamp Road Fire and Star Avenue Fire had burned through over 10,000 acres and forced the evacuation of over 1,100 homes.
The Bertha Swamp Road blaze is the largest of the three, consuming over 9,000 acres.
Florida Forest Service officials said the three blazes have been fueled by some of the over 72 tons of trees blown over during Hurricane Michael’s landfall in 2018.
At press time, almost 150 wildfires were burning across the Sunshine State consuming over 12,000 acres of woodlands.
After arriving in Bay County, the Clay County crew was briefed and sent to the 1,500-acre Adkins Avenue fire.
On Sunday Clay firefighters successfully defended a neighborhood and a disabled Florida Forestry Service tractor in northeast Panama City.
Moderate drought conditions arise in Lake Region
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville said that since the first of the year, Northeast Florida has received about one-third its normal rainfall.
Through February, the Jacksonville area averages about seven inches of precipitation. This year, the cumulative total is around 2.5 inches.
Forecasters are predicting showers in the latter part of this week, but wildfire danger will persist even with the additional rain.
