PANAMA CITY BEACH — A controlled burn got out of control Sept. 17 in Panama City Beach, prompting evacuations and road closures.
Panama City Beach wrote in a Facebook post that the fire “jumped the line,” shutting down southbound lanes of State Road 79.
As of the afternoon of Sept. 18, the most recent update from the Florida Forest Service said that the fire is at 50 acres and is 95% contained. Lanes on State Road 79 have reopened.
The U.S. Drought Monitor currently places Bay County in the “abnormally dry” category. The National Weather Service’s Tallahassee forecasting office warned that Panama City hasn’t seen measurable rainfall in 19 days and that wildfire danger is rising.
“Antecedent dry conditions can lead to some fire weather concerns, even with light winds and (minimum relative humidity) values above critical thresholds,” wrote a NWS meteorologist in our area’s forecast discussion.
Fire danger is moderate throughout the Florida Panhandle, according to the Forest Service.
Walton County Fire Rescue released a Facebook post on Sept. 16 warning of the dry conditions.
“Listen, it’s drier than the devil’s dustbowl out there. So, let’s stop burning things, okay,” wrote the fire department. “Is there a burn ban in Walton County? No. Is it a good idea to burn anything outdoors right now? Also no.”
Due to the smoky conditions, the PCB Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare facility closed for Sept. 18.
There is a 20% chance of rain on Friday afternoon, with low rain chances reemerging through the beginning half of next week.
When asked who was conducting the prescribed burn when the fire jumped the lines, a forest service spokesperson told the News Herald that the matter was under investigation. There are no evacuation orders in place at this time.
Video footage shows the fire burning on land owned by the St Joe Timberland Company, referencing Bay County GIS.
As of the afternoon of Sept. 18, unincorporated Bay County had been placed under a burn ban.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Controlled burn got out of control in Panama City Beach, fire is ongoing
Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
