FOG BLOG U.S. NEWS LOG: WILDFIRES STILL RAGING IN RAVAGED FLORIDA PANHANDLE:

Thousands of acres near Panama City are torched as Florida Panhandle wildfires continue...With nearly 1,100 homes evacuated, firefighting crews continue to battle several dangerous wildfires across three counties in the Florida Panhandle, officials said.

The most prominent blaze, the Bertha Swamp Road Fire, expanded over the weekend and was at 14,000 acres Monday evening, up from 9,000 on Sunday, with just 10% of it contained, according to a news release from the Florida Forest Service.

"The fire continues to show extreme activity as steady winds push the fire through thick, dry, and dead trees and vegetation left behind from Hurricane Michael," the statement said........The fire, which originated in Gulf County, has spread into neighboring Bay and Calhoun counties just east of Panama City, a popular tourist destination, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services........Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency Saturday to include all three counties.

"Right now, the main focus is, of course, is getting the fire contained, but we are marshaling assets and we will provide whatever the folks here in northwest Florida (need)," DeSantis said Saturday. There is no timeline as to when residents will be allowed to return home, according to a release from the Florida Forest Service. Another fire even closer to Panama City, the Adkins Avenue fire in Bay County, was 50% contained and all evacuation orders had been lifted by Monday, FFS said. Two homes have been destroyed and 12 more were damaged by the blaze.