all my usual routes home are on fire! film at eleven. 30 ft flames shooting in the air on US hwy 98, where most spring breakers are.
The following update was released this afternoon: As of 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 7, firefighters from six agencies continue to battle wildfires in eastern Walton County. 850 acres remain involved in a fire along County Road 3280 at Black Creek. The fire at one point engulfed 1200 acres. Firefighters are setting up for an all-night operation to fight the fire. The fire remains uncontained, and is headed in a southwesterly direction toward the Choctawhatchee River Swamp. County Road 3280 is closed to traffic from the intersection of Black Creek Boulevard to Smokehouse Lake Road. The Black Creek fire forced the evacuation of 68 homes in the area over the day. No injuries or damage to homes has been reported. Residents will not be allowed back in the affected area until the all-clear is given by fire fighters. School buses will not be operated on County Road 3280 on Tuesday, May 8, if the road remains closed. The American Red Cross has opened a shelter in the Freeport Community Center to feed those displaced from their homes. That shelter will remain open until 9 p.m. tonight. The Red Cross will open another shelter in the DeFuniak Springs Armory on State Road 83 at 5 p.m. to house families displaced by the fire. Another ten acres ½ mile south of Rock Hill Road on Sand Plant Road near the Red Bay Community were ablaze during the day, but that fire has been put out. Smoke from the Black Creek fire impacted as far south as the Beaches of South Walton. Safety warnings for drivers are being posted along U.S. 98 and County Road 30A. Drivers should be very careful when driving through smoke. Walton County is presently in a drought situation with a high danger of wild fires. Residents should not build open fires and should be extremely careful with any fire source such as cigarettes and matches. The Walton County Emergency Operations Center has been activated to monitor the fire and coordinate emergency response to it. The citizen information lines have been manned to handle calls about the fire. Residents can get information by calling 892-8392 or 892-8394. -- yipie tie yie yo
