UPDATE (06/05/26)
The 340 wildfire in Sopchoppy has grown to approximately 2,200 acres as of Friday morning, with containment at about 30%.
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Crews worked overnight Thursday into Friday after the fire reignited Thursday afternoon. Crews are still working in the area near homes that had been evacuated, though residents have been allowed to return as suppression efforts have been working.
The fire was 1,700 acres on Thursday before expanding to 2,200 acres in roughly 24 hours. Part of that expansion includes back burn efforts by crews.
Melanie Banton, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service in Florida, explained how burnout operations contribute to the acreage count.
"When we fight fire with fire, when we use those burnout operations to reduce that vegetation and fuels along the sides of these roadways or these containment lines, that is going to increase the perimeter, which adds to the acreage that we have. And then, of course, the spot fires last night had their own acreage additions to this fire," Banton said.
The goal is to complete as many burnout operations as possible as soon as possible, as there is currently no rain in the forecast.
Crews will continue to work overnight as the fire continues.
UPDATE (06/04/2026)
The 340 Wildfire near Sopchoppy reignited in only a few short hours Thursday, prompting evacuations near two homes after flames spread across FL-22/Rose St.
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Around noon on Thursday, the Forest Service announced updated numbers on the fire. Shortly after, it started spreading again.
Crews could not do burnout operations over the weekend due to rain. Later this week, higher winds, warmer conditions, and low humidity caused the flames to spread more quickly.
Melanie Banton, a public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service in Florida, said the conditions highlight the lasting danger of drought.
"This is the testament to the drought conditions that we've had in Florida. I mean, a little bit of rain really, really helps us. We've greened back up. That is definitely a protection. But a few inches of rain is only going to last so long if we have this hot, dry, sunny weather. And this is just — this shows how rapidly a fire can start or reignite even after rain," Banton said.
While crews conducted operations Thursday, strong winds from the south pushed the fire over FL-22/Rose St. near two homes. The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office evacuated the residents of those homes. At around 10 p.m. Thursday. The sheriff's office announced conditions had improved enough for those evacuees to return home.
A Wakulla County Fire Rescue team was also staged near the homes to provide structure protection.
In a statement, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office said it is closely monitoring the situation and evacuation efforts will expand as needed.
The Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office is working in close coordination with the U.S. Forest Service as crews continue to respond to the 340 Fire.
The situation remains active and evolving, and the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office is constantly assessing any potential threat to public safety.
Evacuations remain limited at this time, and the Sheriff’s Office has been conducting those evacuations in coordination with responding agencies.
The Florida Forest Service is aiding the U.S. Forest Service in their suppression effort.
As of this report, no new acreage totals or containment information are available due to how suddenly this development occurred.
Original:
The 340 Fire burning in the Apalachicola National Forest near Sopchoppy has grown to 1,900 acres, but crews have reached 20% containment as of Tuesday.
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The fire, which was sparked by a lightning strike, has been burning since Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. As of Monday, around 70 people were on the ground working to contain the flames. That number has since grown to 125 personnel.
Winds caused the fire to spread to the north side of Florida 22, creating a secondary 20-acre fire. Melanie Banton, the public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service in Florida, said crews have made progress on that smaller fire as well.
"The firefighters have 75% line around it, not containment, so far, but they do have a line around it that they're working. The fire's in a dry swamp bed, so again, it's hard to get heavy equipment in there. So, it's also rest assured the firefighters are doing everything they can to halt this fire as it is," Banton said.
Crews are using multiple on-ground teams, as well as helicopters and drones, to fight and survey the fire. Banton also wanted to note that since they're conducting air operations, if neighbors try to fly personal drones in the area, it can impede operations.
“We just ask anybody who wants to fly a personal drone to stay out of our airspace, just due to the fact that if they do any flights over our fire, then we can't fly and we'll have to land our ships.”
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The Forest Service is relying on an indirect confinement strategy, using existing roads and fire lines to contain the blaze.
Branden Sultemeier, the Apalachicola National Forest fire management officer, said the area's designation limits how crews can fight the fire.
"The area is in an archaeological area, and it's also in a former military training ground...so we're not allowed to use heavy equipment directly on the forest, other than on the road systems," Sultemeier said.
Because of that restriction, crews have been using burnout operations to help stop the spread.
"We're using current roads and our existing fire lines for prescribed fires in this area as our containment lines," Sultemeier said. "We have our firefighters right now doing burnout operations and and clean up and line building operations to throw out, corral the fire into the current burn units," Sultemeier said.
Banton said crews are focused on protecting nearby homes.
"That is again why we are improving those boundaries around the existing fire line right now, making sure that they've got eyes on it. They're widening those things, so that the fire can't creep over," Banton said.
Neighbors near the fire said the sight of smoke was alarming when they returned home from Memorial Day weekend activities. Missy Rudd Gainer, who lives near the fire, described the moment she first saw it.
“Actually, we got home Sunday, once we got home, it was just a wall of smoke, and that was pretty terrifying. But the next day they had it under control," Rudd Gainer said.
Rudd Gainer said the scale of the fire was also unsettling.
"It's kind of concerning, and just because it's so big, and it started when it started from a lightning strike, it really didn't take long for it to blossom into this big fire," Rudd Gainer said.
However, she said the work of the 125 crew members has eased her concerns.
"They've been good about protecting the homes on this side, and they were good about setting a control burn to stop it from spreading further toward town," Rudd Gainer said.
Rudd Gainer also praised the broader response effort.
"The crews have been great, the forest service has been great, every buddy has been very attentive and answering questions," Rudd Gainer said.
Officials are asking drivers traveling through areas with smoke to drive carefully and use their low beams. Banton is reminding everyone to stay informed on the fire should there be any impending danger.
The U.S. Forest Service first alerted the public about the fire on social media on Saturday.
Officials said they did not expect smoke to impact neighborhoods or roads, but urged holiday travelers to drive with caution in the area.
This fire comes amid ongoing extreme drought conditions in the area.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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