WAYCROSS, Ga. -- Two fast-burning wildfires have forced more than 2,000 people from their homes, spread over nearly 30,000 acres of tinder-dry forest in southeast Georgia that authorities fear could threaten the cities of Waycross and Fargo.

As of Wednesday night, the Georgia Forestry Commission said the Ware County fire was 35 percent contained. The blaze was only 5 percent contained earlier in the day.

Nonetheless, all roads in Ware County near the 25,000-acre Sweat Farm Road fire were closed Wednesday and more than 2,100 people are under a mandatory evacuation.

"The forestry commission is doing all they can to continue to battle the wildfire. We have all of our resources that are available on the wildfire, and we'll continue to battle this blaze until it's out," said Georgia Forestry Commission's Eric Mosely.

The commission said it was concerned that the winds would shift, causing the flames to turn and threaten the city of Waycross. Workers dug trenches on the northern part of the fire to attempt fire from spreading.

Ware County school officials, unable to run school buses on some routes since Tuesday, canceled classes for a third day on Thursday. Waycross Middle School is being used as a Red Cross Shelter.

Okefenokee Technical College and Waycross College have also canceled classes for Thursday.

The private Okefenokee Swamp Park was evacuated and its animals moved to safety and firefighters sprayed water west of town to protect a railroad yard.

By Wednesday afternoon, the fire had scorched an area 11 miles long and one mile wide. The Georgia Forestry Commission told Channel 4 that by Wednesday night 17 homes were destroyed by the fire.

More than 200 federal, state and local firefighters from across Georgia were battling the blaze, with support of water and fire retardant drops from five helicopters and one airplane.

"This one will go into the history books of wildland fires in Georgia," said Frank Sorrells, the Waycross district ranger for Georgia Forestry. "We're pulling equipment and personnel in from all over Georgia and more are on standby to put out this dangerous fire."

George Morgan's family is cautiously back at home now after being evacuated twice in the past three days.

"I'm scared. If anything goes wrong, we're going to be on the highway," Morgan told Channel 4's Emily Pantelides. "I've never seen it this dry in 39 years."

New Fire Threatens Fargo

While more firefighting efforts were focused on the large fire near Waycross, another blaze erupted Tuesday near the town of Fargo. By Wednesday afternoon, that fire, dubbed the North Fargo Fire, had spread to 2,200 acres.

Mayor Robbie Lee asked everyone in the town of 300 to evacuate.

About 60 families in St. George, Ga., were also told to evacuate Wednesday due to a 500-acre wildfire in Charlton County. By afternoon, firefighters, with the held of airborne water drop, had that blaze under control and the residents were allowed to return to their homes.

The fires were on either side of the 438,000-acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, one of the nation's oldest and best preserved wetland areas, officials said Wednesday.

"Because they are around the Okefenokee, it's really hampered our ability to fight the fires," said Eric Mosley, spokesman for the Georgia Forestry Commission. "There aren't many roads or trails into the Okefenokee and it's hard to get equipment in."

Jim Burkhart, a refuge ranger, said the larger fire had entered the refuge by Wednesday afternoon, but not the Fargo fire. "It has burned into ... a wet prairie area," Burkhart said. "The fire is there but it's not currently a problem."

After hitting the wet area, the fire appeared to change direction and was "creeping toward Waycross," Mosley said.

Burkhart said U.S. Interior Department, which manages the refuge, is bringing in a team that specializes in firefighting operations.

"We've got all our firefighting crews on the west side, plowing fire lines," he said.

No deaths have been reported in either fire, but several firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation or minor injuries, officials said.

The north and west entrances to the refuge have been closed, but the eastern entrance near Folkston remains open and visitors can still rent canoes, take guided boat tours and hike.

Federal Government To Fund Firefighting Efforts

Georgia's two U.S. senators announced Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in response to a request from Gov. Sonny Perdue, has agreed to pay 75 percent of the state's eligible firefighting costs.

On Tuesday evening, officials decided to evacuate the Stephen C. Foster State Park, located on an island inside the wildlife refuge, about 17 miles from Fargo, and a few residents living around the swamp also were asked to leave, officials said. Southeast Georgia is extremely dry, with rainfall deficits of 6 to 8 inches for the year, officials said.

The drought has left the forests vulnerable to wildfires and many have been in bays or swamps where the soil is too boggy to support traditional firefighting equipment, such as bulldozers with plows to create firebreaks, said Alan Dozier, the forestry commission's chief firefighter.

High winds have also made it difficult to control the fires, officials said.

Besides the two fires threatening the swamp, a third broke out Tuesday evening and damaged a few hundred acres in Berrien County, about 50 miles away from the Waycross fire. Firefighters also continue to battle a 2,500-acre fire, known as the Kneeknocker fire, near Nahunta.

Mosley said the Kneeknocker fire should be "contained" by Thursday morning.