The Associated Press
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A homeowner burning brush started a 150-acre blaze in the dry Florida Panhandle that led to evacuations and destroyed four homes, forestry officials said Monday.
The fire was 90 percent contained, said Bob Rhea, spokesman for the Florida Division of Forestry’s Chipola River District. It started around noon Sunday.
The homeowner will be responsible for the cost of fighting the fire and damages, including the four mobile homes, five campers, five vehicles and four boats that were destroyed, Rhea said.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for some homes, but no injuries were reported, officials said.
It was not yet clear whether the homeowner would face charges, but a misdemeanor count of unauthorized burning appears likely, said John Saddler, prescribed fire manager for the division of forestry.
Bay County commissioners will consider enacting a burn ban for the region Tuesday, Rhea said.
Since Jan. 1, more than 3,000 Florida wildfires have charred more than 136,600 acres, the forestry division says.