1,100 Homes Evacuated as Firefighters Battle Florida Fires

Smoke from a wildfire in Bay County, Fla., on March 5, 2022. Florida Forest Service via AP

PANAMA CITY, Fla.—Huge wildfires in the Florida Panhandle forced veterans in a nursing home to evacuate Sunday alongside residents of more than 1,000 homes in an area still recovering from a Category 5 hurricane three years ago.

Firefighters battled the 9,000-acre Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 841-acre (340-hectare) Adkins Avenue fire, which have threatened homes and forced residents of at least 1,100 houses in Bay County, Florida to flee over the weekend. The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday.