FOLKSTON, Ga. -- Wind gusts fanned 100-foot flames into treetops Monday as firefighters continued to battle a wildfire that has burned 125 square miles of southeast Georgia forest and swampland in the past two weeks.

The Georgia Forestry Commission said Monday they are making progress on containing the massive fire that has burned nearly 80,000 acres in the Okefenokee Swamp and surrounding forest in Ware County, making it the largest wildfire in state history.

But people in Charlton County are not feeling better about the fire.

"The sheriff's office pulled up and said that we had two hours to get out of there before the fire was going to reach us," said Folkston resident Tabitha Disher of her experience on Sunday.

Disher followed firefighters' advice and put a sprinkler on her roof before leaving.

The evacuations in Folkston were lifted, but residents of Race Pond, about 15 miles north of them are still out of their homes.

"It's just been coming this way," said Steve Towne of Charlton County Emergency Services. "It has passed south of the Okefenokee Swamp Park, and we're the next area to it."

Officials said the massive blaze started April 16 when a tree fell on a power line. It has spread rapidly through forest parched by drought, destroying 22 homes in the area.

Other fires have started burning in nearby Brantley, Wayne, Charlton and Atkinson counties. Firefighters said these fires are all unrelated but are further evidence of the extreme drought conditions in Georgia.

Smoke from the two largest fires has plagued neighboring communities for more than 10 days, with health alerts being issued as far south as Orlando. People with respiratory illness were encouraged to limit activities and remain indoors.

More than 830 firefighters from throughout Georgia and neighboring states had the fire 64 percent contained Monday morning, said Susan Reisch, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Forestry Commission.

"We expect the fire will continue to burn intensely this week," Reisch said. "Crews will be working on extinguishing hot spots through the month, or until the next heavy rain at the earliest."

No rain was forecast for next several days in the area, while low humidity and sustained winds of 10 mph threatened to help spread the fires on Monday.

The Forestry Commission had reduced the total acreage burned by about 2,000 acres Monday after new aerial maps gave officials a more accurate assessment of the fire, Reisch said.

About 30 miles of U.S. 1 between Folkston and Waycross remained closed Monday as firefighters widened fire breaks to keep the fire from crossing the highway into miles on tinder-dry forest to the north.

A few families remained evacuated Monday from their homes a short distance from U.S. 1 near the northern edge of the swamp, where the fire has been most active for the past week.

Schools in Ware County, which were closed most of last week, opened an hour later than usual Monday, while schools in neighboring Charlton County were closed. Charlton County schools are expected to be open on Tuesday, but begin one hour late.

Firefighters also worked to contain a smaller wildfires that had burned 1,300 acres in neighboring Brantley counties. Reisch said that fire there was about 50 percent contained.

Meanwhile, a fire that broke out Saturday in an Atkinson County peat bog about 30 miles west of Waycross had burned about 3,500 acres, Reisch said Monday.

A fire that burned nearly 10 acres in Kingsland on Sunday was contained, but investigators said they believe it was deliberately set and are asking anyone who saw suspicious activity in early-afternoon Sunday to call Kingsland police at 912-729-8254.

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced he plans to visit the area on Tuesday afternoon, take an aerial tour of the affected areas and be briefed by Forestry and Georgia Emergency Management Agency officials.