2,400 Flee Two Fast-Burning Wildfires
Smoke From Burning 30,000 Acres Blankets Area
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.- April 18, 2007: Health Advisory Issued As Georgia Fires Grow
- April 17, 2007: Ware County Fire Grows To 19,000 Acres
- April 16, 2007: Homes Evacuated, Schools Closed By Ware County Brush Fire
- April 13, 2007: Brush Fires Pump Smoke Into Air
Copyright 2007 by News4Jax.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.







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