Florida Panhandle wildfires force evacuation from more than a thousand homes

Veterans at a nursing home also evacuated, as well as residents of at least 1,100 houses, as firefighters battle two fires

Veterans at a nursing home were evacuated, joining residents from more than 1,000 homes, as firefighters and emergency workers battled two massive wildfires Sunday in an area of the Florida Panhandle that was still recovering from destruction caused by a category-5 hurricane more than three years ago.

The 8,000-acre Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 841-acre Adkins Avenue fire threatened homes and forced residents of at least 1,100 houses in Bay county to flee over the weekend.