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Fire forces evacuation of 600 homes in Florida Panhandle

Dispatcher answers 911 call from own daughter about house fire
Posted at 12:02 PM, Mar 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-05 12:02:54-05

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — Residents in 600 homes in the Florida Panhandle have been evacuated as a wildfire destroyed two houses and damaged 12 others, in an area that has spent the past three years recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Michael.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Saturday that hundreds of thousands of acres of downed trees from the 2018 hurricane, along with low humidity and strong winds, have created “the perfect storm” for the hazardous fire conditions around Panama City, Florida.

As of Saturday morning, the 1,400-acre Adkins Avenue Fire was 30% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.