PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — A wildfire that officials say quickly spread through dead trees that still hadn’t been cleared after Hurricane Michael forced the evacuation of nearly two dozen homes in Florida’s Panhandle.
Fire officials say the fire broke out Saturday near Panama City, which was hit hard by Michael in October. By Sunday afternoon it had grown to some 500 acres (202 hectares).
Amy Carter tells the News Herald “our house was destroyed in Hurricane Michael, and now this.” She and her husband had their car packed with some sentimental items Sunday in case they had to flee.
Helicopters continuously dumped water from a nearby pond on the forest.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s office says 23 firefighters, multiple bulldozers, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters were working to contain the blaze.
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