More than 600 homes have been evacuated as wildfires escalate in Bay County on Florida's panhandle, prompting officials to issue a state of emergency.
The Florida Forest Service said the Adkins Avenue fire has burned more than 1,400 acres (1.6 square miles) and is 20% contained.
Bay County Sheriff Tom Ford said at a news conference Friday that the fire started Friday when someone was burning garbage in their backyard and the flames went out of hand.
Brad Monroe, the chief of emergency services, has estimated at least two homes have been destroyed and 12 damaged.
He said that there was no report of any casualty or death.
Bay County Commissioner Robert Carroll said there is now a burn ban for the county. "Please, no burning. We have to control this fire," he said.
Monroe said debris and other vulnerable trees left over from Hurricane Michael in 2018 have hindered firefighting efforts.
"We have had some dangerous situations where trees are hanging," he said. “We want to be careful not to put our people in situations where the wind could blow away one of the standing trees. We have some very tall trees in several areas that are still standing that we are concerned about. "
The Forest Service said 72 million tons of destroyed trees are potential fuel for the fires.
At least 200 firefighters are dominating the fire and others. One of the other fires, named the Big Bertha Swamp Fire in Gulf County, grew to 1,600 acres on Friday.
An emergency shelter for evacuees has been set up at the Highland Park Baptist Church in Panama City.
The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee said visibility was likely to be low on Friday night due to fog and smoke.
There are approximately 175,000 permanent residents in Bay County's 748 square miles. Major tourist destination Panama City is its largest city.
The Forest Service warned earlier on Friday that the fire danger level had risen across the state due to critically low humidity.