Local residents were being evacuated as a quick-moving wildfire threatened Wakulla County in the area of Spring Hill Road, Seaboard Drive and Mill Circle.
The news was shared June 5 by the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Forest Service. Sheriff’s deputies, Wakulla County Fire Rescue, and U.S. Forestry firefighters were on scene, they said, advising people to “avoid the area.”
“The fire started on private property and is now estimated at approximately 60 acres. It is moving north toward the Helen Guard Station/Apalachicola National Forest,” a Facebook post said.
“Please avoid the area. Heavy smoke may limit visibility, and emergency crews are actively working nearby.”
It added that Wakulla County Fire Rescue was “providing structural protection” and deputies were “assisting with evacuations of nearby residences as needed.”
As of 5 p.m., a “bulldozer was on the ground assisting with fire operations.”
Dry weather has led to worsening drought in parts of the United States, drying out grass and forests and making it easier for wildfires to start and spread, especially in Florida.
All of Wakulla County was still in the two worst levels of drought: “Extreme” and “Exceptional,” according to the latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a project of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and federal agencies.
That’s despite some recent drenching rains.
“The heaviest rains, locally exceeding 6 inches, fell across southern Alabama (and) the Florida Panhandle,” the Drought Monitor website said June 5. “Widespread drought reduction was also warranted across the Florida Panhandle, though thunderstorm activity was a bit spottier across the peninsula.
“… Despite all of these improvements, significant long term impacts to lake levels and groundwater remain … Persistent above-normal precipitation over an extended period of time is needed to significantly overturn the effects of the long term drought.”
This is a developing news story. Check back later for updates.
Jim Rosica can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com. Follow him on X.com: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Wakulla County wildfire forces resident evacuations
Reporting by Jim Rosica, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Rosica, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
