Forest fires in Florida: more than 1000 homes evacuated

An out-of-control fire in northwest Florida has caused the evacuation of 1100 homes and the closure of Interstate 10, the portal said. Weather

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More than 1 houses, located near the ignition of swampy forests, will be evacuated before noon, May 100.

Rescuers continue to fight a massive fire of 8 square kilometers in the west and northwest of the state. The Florida Department of Agriculture promises to provide new details when the situation clears up. According to the data at the time of writing, none of the people were injured.

?WILDFIRE UPDATE?@FLForestService crews are in day 3 of suppression efforts on the # 5MileSwampFire... Additional firefighting personnel & resources are en route to assist.

I-10 is closed from Exit 22 Avalon Blvd to Exit 31 at Hwy 87.

Follow @FFS_Blackwater for updates. pic.twitter.com/9XWX9iueHr

- FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services (@FDACS) May 6, 2020

On Thursday, May 7, three large fires occurred in the state at once. The other two - a wildfire of 1,2 square kilometers in Escambia County and fires in the marshland of Walton County in Area 2,3 - are now partially localized. The largest fires blocked the 16-kilometer Interstate 10 Interstate XNUMX in Santa Rosa County.

“Deteriorating weather conditions are contributing to the fire's intensification: changing wind direction, strong winds from the North and extremely low humidity,” said Florida Forest Service spokesman Joe Zwierzowski.

On May 6, evening, Santa Rosa County spokeswoman Brandy Bates said there were 336 houses in the fire path. How many of them suffered - is being specified.

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Asylum was opened in the state's community center, and authorities are urging people not to ignore the evacuation due to fear of coronavirus infection.

Firefighters have been fighting fire for the fourth day. Large-scale ignition began with the fact that a private contractor who had permission to burn did not take into account all safety rules, so the fire went out of control. In Walton County, a fire started due to unauthorized arson near Santa Rosa Beach. The culprit has already been found and is awaiting arrest.

“The reason for everything is illegal arson. Not a blast in a laboratory, not a fire at a nuclear power plant - nothing of the sort. It’s just that someone starts a fire when he shouldn’t do this, ”said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson.

According to him, the fire covers more than 2 sq km and is already localized by firefighters by 60%. Residents of 500 houses were evacuated in the region, and no casualties were reported.

The fire in the District of Escambria spanned 1,2 sq km. A strong wind blew fire from the forest zone towards the river and the bay of Perdido. As a result of the fire, people and buildings were not affected.

The Department of Agriculture reports that the fire hazard in the state has increased due to weather conditions, namely low humidity and strong winds.

The Department of Transportation warns drivers of road hazards due to strong winds.

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According to the latest information, severe drought is recorded in the west and northwest, as well as throughout the state of Florida.

“On the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where there is always enough humidity in the spring, this year only March 1% of the usual rainfall fell,” says Jonathan Erdman, weather meteorologist. Only 43 cm of precipitation fell here, which is almost 11 cm below normal spring values.

Since January, the state has experienced nearly 1100 forest fires. According to the Department of Agriculture, almost all of them were caused by people.

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