Wildfire At Georgia-Florida Border Doubles In Less Than A Week
Courtesy of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Officials say a wildfire on public lands near the Georgia-Florida state line has blackened 115 square miles, having doubled in size since last weekend.
So far, nearly all of the burned acreage has been confined to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia and the neighboring Osceola National Forest and John M. Bethea State Forest in Florida.
Sustained winds up to 8 mph were expected to keep pushing the flames Wednesday into drought-stricken areas of the swamp inside the Refuge. The command team fighting the fire reported its area as 56 square miles on Sunday.
Susan Granbery of the Georgia Forestry Commission said the fire will likely keep growing in the coming days, though it’s moving toward moister areas that could slow its progress.
More than 470 firefighters and support personnel are working to keep the fire within the boundaries of the Okefenokee refuge.
The fire was sparked by lightning on April 6. As of Tuesday, the blaze was 8 percent contained, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, which is coordinating firefighting efforts. It could take months for the blaze to be fully contained.
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