The fires in Bay and Calhoun counties near Panama City started around near a swamp around noon Saturday, and led to the evacuation of at least one family. Fire agencies built fire lanes around the most susceptible areas over the weekend, and protected the homes threatened by smoke and flames. Helicopters filled 500-gallon buckets in nearby ponds, and swept through the gray smoke. (...) Tony Bullock, 35, said he spotted flickering flames midday Saturday while quail hunting, and watched as they quickly spread, despite a dispatcher's reassurance that it was a controlled burn.
