Current:Home > MyFlorida Panhandle wildfire destroys 1 home and damages 15 others -WealthGrow Network
Florida Panhandle wildfire destroys 1 home and damages 15 others
View
Date:2025-04-16 06:33:34
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A wildfire in the Florida Panhandle has destroyed a home and damaged at least 15 others.
The Florida Forest Service said Friday that the blaze, which broke out Thursday near Pensacola, was now more than 60% contained over an area of 50 acres (20 hectares). No injuries were reported.
Spring is the height of wildfire season in the Southeast, before summer brings humidity and drenching thunderstorms to the Gulf Coast.
The cause of the fire was unknown and remained under investigation.
Homes were evacuated Thursday in some parts of Escambia County north of Pensacola Naval Air Station. A few people stayed overnight in a shelter at a church.
The Florida Forest Service used bulldozers and plows to cut fire lines, and crews were patrolling the perimeter.
“They’re continuing to mop up around some of the homes that are showing some heat nearby,” Blackwater Forestry Center’s Operations Administrator David Smith told the Pensacola News Journal. “But there are no threats at this time.”
The fire melted vinyl siding off some homes in neighboring subdivisions.
Jeremy Mixon told WEAR-TV that his home is currently unlivable.
“Oh man, inside there’s smoke damage in there real bad,” Mixon said.
Another resident, Schye McGruder, feared losing her house as flames roared high up in the trees.
“I didn’t even walk off my porch and just turned around, and they were just over the roof, it was so bad. It was terrible. I was frightened. I was so scared,” McGruder said.
A separate fire to the west near Pascagoula, Mississippi, caused blowing smoke across Interstate 10, contributing to four crashes around 1 a.m. Saturday. State Highway Patrol spokesperson Cal Robertson told WLOX-TV that three of the crashes involved two vehicles, while one involved four vehicles. Three of the crashes caused injuries, but no one was killed.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Man extradited from Sweden to face obstruction charges in arson case targeting Jewish organizations
- Last year's marine heat waves were unprecedented, forcing researchers to make 3 new coral reef bleaching alert levels
- Masturbation abstinence is popular online. Doctors and therapists are worried
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's Grammys 2024 Appearance Is No Ordinary Date Night
- Dog rescued by Coast Guard survived in shipping container for 8 days with no food, water
- NFL takes flag football seriously. Pro Bowl highlights growing sport that welcomes all
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Abortion access on the ballot in 2024
Ranking
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Why Jason Kelce Thinks the NFL Should Continue to Show Taylor Swift on TV Game Broadcasts
- Men's college basketball schedule today: The six biggest games Saturday
- Newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped 50 years ago. Now she’s famous for her dogs
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Jillian Michaels Details the No. 1 Diet Mistake People Make—Other Than Ozempic
- Powell: Federal Reserve on track to cut rates this year with inflation slowing and economy healthy
- 'It sucks getting old': Jon Lester on Red Sox, Cubs and his future Hall of Fame prospects
Recommendation
Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
Claims that Jan. 6 rioters are ‘political prisoners’ endure. Judges want to set the record straight
Grammys 2024: See the Complete Winners List
Joni Mitchell wins 10th Grammy for her 'very joyous' live album, set to perform at awards
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Workers safe after gunmen take hostages at Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey in apparent protest of Gaza war
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami preseason match in Hong Kong: How to watch, highlights, score
9 inmates injured in fight at Arizona prison west of Phoenix; unit remains on lockdown