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Wildfire in Florida Panhandle destroys homes, forces evacuations

Posted at 7:13 AM, Jun 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-25 10:55:54-04

EASTPOINT, Fla. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire damaged or destroyed dozens of homes in a Florida county.

Gov. Rick Scott visited the small coastal community of Eastpoint on Monday to get an update on the damage. Eastpoint is in Franklin County and is near the historic town of Apalachicola and the beach area at St. George Island.

The fire broke around late Sunday afternoon and moved quickly. As many as 20 to 30 homes may be complete losses, a volunteer firefighter told The Tallahassee Democrat.

Franklin County Sheriff A. J. Smith said that as many as 700 acres were burned, but no deaths have been reported.

The fire prompted authorities to order evacuations on Sunday. Smith said people should be able to return to their homes sometime Monday.