TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and fellow Cabinet members recognized the Florida Forest Service and Florida’s First Responders at the Capitol for their extraordinary efforts on the Chipola Complex, which encompassed three wildfires in the Florida Panhandle. Collectively, the fires burned more than 34,000 acres, destroyed two homes, and damaged 12 others.
“I am incredibly proud of the Florida Forest Service, our Ag Law Enforcement officers, and all the firefighters and first responders who came together during such a critical incident,” said Commissioner Fried. “While Hurricane Michael left an additional threat to the Panhandle in the form of wildfire, our tenacious spirit will not be broken. We will continue to persevere, working together to protect our Panhandle communities from further devastation.”
“We could not fulfill our mission to protect Florida and its people from the dangers of wildfire without having strong partnerships,” said Erin Albury, State Forester and Director of the Florida Forest Service. “We all experienced the value of having those relationships as we joined forces on the Chipola Complex. I want every firefighter and first responder to know that their work did not go unnoticed, and I am grateful for the remarkable work that was done to protect our communities.”
Background:
Hurricane Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach as a Category 5 storm on October 10, 2018, and blew through heavily forested counties in the Florida Panhandle. The storm destroyed 2.8 million acres of trees while reaching maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. The exponential volume of broken, uprooted, and blown over trees that Hurricane Michael left behind created dense pockets of vegetation that remain on the ground and serve as fuel for wildfires.
 On March 7, 2022, the Florida Forest Service Blue Incident Management Team assumed command of the Chipola Complex and coordinated wildfire suppression efforts in partnership with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association, the Florida National Guard, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tyndall Air Force Base, and local law enforcement agencies.
The Chipola Complex encompassed three wildfires in the Florida Panhandle. The Adkins Avenue Fire started on March 4, 2022, in Bay County and burned 875 acres, destroying two homes and damaging 12 others. The Bertha Swamp Road Fire originated in Gulf County on March 4, 2022, and spread into Calhoun and Bay counties, burning more than 33,000 acres. The Star Avenue Fire started on March 6, 2022, in Bay County and burned 197 acres. All three wildfires were fueled by strong, steady winds that pushed through thick, dry, and dead trees and vegetation that remain on the ground after the 2018 storm.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres.
–Florida Forest Service