Georgia Wildfire Getting Dangerously Close To Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge
Posted in Traveling, OutdoorsA wildfire that has been burning in southern parts of Georgia for over 11 days is still out of control and gaining strength. The fire, which has already destroyed 22 homes and scorched an estimated 95 square miles, is just now only 50% contained.
Over 700 firefighters (150 of which come are prisoners associated with the Georgia Department Of Corrections) are working around the clock with bulldozers and fire-retardant foam air drops in an all out war to stop the blaze from crossing U.S Highway 1. If they fail 16 miles of dry forest will most certainly be engulfed in flame. Not to mention at least three towns are being evacuated as I write this. “They told me it was mandatory, not like the other ones. The fire was so close, the sky was blood-red. I couldn’t just taste the smoke and smell it. I could feel it. It was terrifying. It was a nightmare.”, recounts Marie O’Berry who was rushed out by a Ware County sheriff’s deputy along with her two daughters in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
Residents from Astoria, Hoboken, and Nahunta are being put on high alert and 5,000 people have been told to leave at once. Officials covering the increasingly volatile situation released this statement “Though firefighters have made progress on fire breaks, the fire continues to pose a threat to community of Astoria, as well as the northwest portion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge”
With the fire raging out of control, Mother Nature is not helping the situation. The weekends forecast for the area calls for gusty winds and possible severe thunderstorms. Fire spokesperson Jerry Rohnert told reporters “With thundershowers there’s usually lightning. It’s one of those things. With the weather you just wait and see.” Many are predicting those thunderstorms could produce winds of 25-30mph. The fire is said to have started when a large tree limb broke loose and fell onto a power line.
With the fire now engulfing 61,000 acres of land, firefighters fear the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge may be in serious danger. The refuge covers an area of 395,080 acres and is visited every year by almost 300,00 people. With it’s Indian name meaning “Land Of Trembling Earth” the swamp is home to over 1,045 different species of plants and animals included several that are on the endangered species list.
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