Five Mile Swamp Fire in northwest Florida rages out of control, forcing evacuations and partial closure of Interstate 10
SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. — Fueled by high winds and low humidity, a fire in northwest Florida raged out of control Wednesday, leading to evacuation orders for up to 1,100 residents.
The Five Mile Swamp Fire, which began as a prescribed burn on private property Monday, was at 250 acres and 40% contained on Wednesday morning. But drought conditions and a northerly wind stoked the flames.
"This is a significant fire event," said Joe Zwierzchowski, spokesman for the Florida Forest Service. “Deteriorating weather conditions, changes in the wind, a strong north wind and extremely low humidity are allowing this fire to grow."
Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer and state fire marshal, tweeted Wednesday evening that the fire had grown to more than 2,000 acres.
The Florida Forest Service and Santa Rosa County Emergency Management recommended evacuations for an area that includes about 1,100 residential structures. Late Wednesday, they expanded the evacuation area.
Santa Rosa County spokeswoman Brandi Bates confirmed Wednesday evening that homes had been damaged by the fire, but could not provide details about the extent of the damage or the number of homes. She said that 336 homes were in the direct path of the fire as of 6:30 p.m.
As crews responded to the fire, Florida Highway Patrol shut down portions of Interstate 10.
Firefighters were using multiple helicopters to drop water over the fire and bulldozers to break up dt, creating a "ring" around the fire in an effort to stop its spread.
“It’s similar to a farm plow that turns dirt up,” Zwierzchowski said of the bulldozers. “It separates the burning vegetation from the unburning vegetation.”
Weather conditions created prime opportunity for the fire to grow, hampering efforts and creating problems for fire crews.
A cold front moved through the area overnight Tuesday, and although temperatures didn't change much, the humidity level plunged, according to the Jack Cullen, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mobile, Alabama.
"We're in the low 80s with a low humidity down in the 20s to upper teens, then you add strong northerly winds into the equation and that promotes fire growth and spread," Cullen said. "That's what's causing problems for that wildfire."
The low humidity could stick around until another cold front is expected to move through the area Friday, Cullen said.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it's going to produce a lot of rain," Cullen said. "Rainfall amounts are probably going to be about a half an inch at the most or less."
Although the low humidity may stick around, winds are expected to lighten on Thursday, which may help firefighters.
"We won't have the strong winds like we're having today," Cullen said
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida blaze, dubbed Five Mile Swamp Fire, rages out of control
