- Dozens of
Santa Rosa homes have been destroyed and more than 1,100 homes and businesses have been evacuated during what's become known as the "Five MileSwamp Fire ." - The fire forced the closing of a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10.
- As of Thursday morning, that blaze had grown to more than three square miles and was only 20% contained.
- At least 18 structures were destroyed or damaged.
- The blaze is one of three
wildfires wreaking havoc inFlorida . - Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Firefighters worked through the night to contain three wildfires — at least one that was likely caused by illegal burning — that are destroying homes and structures across three counties on the Florida
The largest of the
It also forced the closure of a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10, which runs through Santa Rosa County.
As of this morning, the blaze has spread across three square miles and was only 20% contained.
"This is a significant fire event," Joe Zwierzchowski, spokesman for the Florida Forest Service, said during the conference. "Deteriorating
A shelter has been set up at the local community center for people who can't return to their homes, authorities said.
In nearby Walton County, Florida, a separate wildfire broke out on Wednesday. About 500 residents there were evacuated and 33 structures burned. Fifteen tractors were sent to the scene, the Walton County Sheriff's office said Thursday morning.
Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkins said in a broadcast on Facebook that the fire was expected to continue to burn throughout Thursday.
"It boils down to an illegal burning," the sheriff said. "Not a meth lab explosion, nothing like that. It's just something burning, something they shouldn't have been burning."
Firefighters are also working to control a smaller fire of about 70 acres in Escambia County, the Florida Forest Service said during their Wednesday press conference.
Nobody has been injured in the three fires, according to authorities.
The three blazes come as half of the state is experiencing a drought.
The dry weather makes parts of Florida ripe for fires.
- Read more:
- Here's a map of the wildfires currently raging throughout the state of California
- Photos show the raging destruction of California's wildfires
- 6 ways Californians can control the spread of wildfires