MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – As rainfall improved conditions across much of the Florida Panhandle, state officials said Thursday the volume of dead trees and vegetation left behind by a Category 5 hurricane in 2018 remains a threat for further wildfires.
Without significant additional rainfall, debris left on the ground by Hurricane Michael will quickly dry out and fuel wildfires, the Florida Forest Service said in a news release.
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In the meantime, firefighters continue to improve containment lines for the Chipola Complex fire and monitor any new activity.
The rain was a break from days of dry, windy conditions that had fueled three wildfires in and around Bay County, Florida.
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Over the weekend, residents were evacuated from 1,100 homes in Bay County, but more than half were allowed to return home on Monday. So far only two houses have been destroyed and a dozen others damaged, with the destruction taking place last Friday.
The blaze that caused the damage, the 875-acre (355-hectare) Adkins Avenue Fire, has been 85% contained, fire officials said Thursday.
Hurricane Michahel left behind 72 million tons (65 million metric tons) of destroyed trees that fueled the fire. The hurricane was directly responsible for 16 deaths and approximately $25 billion in damage in the United States
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(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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