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State of emergency declared over 800 acre wildfire in Bay County

Massive-wildfire-forces-evacuations-in-Bay-County-BAY-COUNTY-SHERIFF'S-OFFICE.jpg
Posted at 8:10 PM, Mar 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-04 23:12:09-05

BAY COUNTY, Fla — The 800-acre wildfire in Bay County Florida has prompted a state of emergency.

The Adkins Road fire has burned over 800 acres, the Florida Forest Service tweeted.

The fire is between Tyndall Parkway and Highway 31 moving north. The area from Transmitter Road to Star Avenue between Highway 321 and Highway 98 is under mandatory evacuation. Around 1000 homes had been evacuated, according to the Florida Forest Service.

Two or more homes have been burned by the fire and other structures are still in danger, the Bay County Sheriff's Office said.

Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for Bay County Friday night after the Division of Emergency Management requested a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from FEMA in response to the Adkins Road fire.

Related: Evacuations underway due to wildfire that has burned more than 100 acres in Florida panhandle

Several fires are still burning in Bay County, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Florida Forest Service warned earlier today that fire danger levels are elevated statewide due to critically low humidity. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is assisting with evacuations of impacted residents and supplementing local law enforcement agency efforts with increased patrol in Bay County. FHP is also on-scene monitoring Highway 231 for smoke and low-visibility conditions.