Rainfall eases wildfire threat in Florida but officials urge caution

A wildfire burns in Florida (Michael Snyder/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)

Rainfall has eased the wildfires threat across much of the Florida Panhandle in the US, but state officials said the volume of dead trees and vegetation left by a Category 5 hurricane in 2018 remains a risk for additional blazes.

Without additional significant rainfall, the debris left on the ground by Hurricane Michael will quickly dry out and serve as fuel for wildfires, the Florida Forest Service said.