ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Fire crews from across Central Florida are responding to one of two massive wildfires in the panhandle that are forcing people to evacuate their homes.
Officials from Orange County Fire Rescue said they responded to an activation order issued in a statewide emergency response plan and deployed an engine strike team to Bay County to assist with wildfire suppression.
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Five fire engines are responding, one each from Orange County Fire Rescue, Seminole County Fire Department, St. Cloud Fire Rescue department, Osceola County Fire Rescue and Canaveral Fire Rescue.
“Deployments such as this represent the dedication that firefighters have for the citizens they protect, responding wherever they are needed regardless of jurisdiction,” Division Chief Michael Wajda said in a news release.
OCFR Battalion Chief Robert Izzo said the local team is responding to the Bertha Swamp Road fire.
“We have reports that there’s approximately an 8-mile long fire head that’s moving in that area,” Izzo said.
Izzo said the area they’re covering is thick, filled with dead trees and vegetation left behind from Hurricane Michael in 2018.
He adds the biggest challenge they’re facing is there aren’t any fire hydrants in the area, so they only have the water in their trucks and tanker.
“That water can go pretty quick, depending on what we’re fighting, but we’re just using the water on actual flames and making sure that it does not cross any fire lines or get to any neighborhoods,” Izzo said.
Izzo said their focus is containing the fire within the burn area, but strong winds could shift the flames and endanger nearby structures.
The 8,000-acre Bertha Swamp Road is 10% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service. It’s one of two massive wildfires burning in the panhandle. According to the FFS, the 1,400 acre Adkins Road fire is now 35% contained. FFS said 25 helicopters have dropped more than 103,000 gallons of water while fighting the Adkins Road fire.
FFS said 600 homes have been evacuated in connection to the Adkins Road fire, with at least two homes destroyed and 12 more homes damaged. A burn ban has been issued in Bay County.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Bay County on Friday to help provide resources and funding for crews battling the fire.
“You know this is a really significant, fast-moving fire and it has obviously done some damage,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said damage left behind from Hurricane Michael in 2018 helped the fire spread quickly.
OCFR said this is expected to be a three-to-five day deployment for the 22 firefighters. Izzo said they’re ready to do what needs to be done for as long as it takes.
“What I would tell you is that everybody that is here is ready to go. We’re ready to spend as much time as we need to help the folks up here in Bay County,” he said. “This is what we do. We answer the call to go ahead and help people. That’s what we enjoy doing, that’s what makes us happy.”
FFS said the cause of the Adkins Avenue fire remains under investigation.