Over 19-thousand acres have burned in southeast Georgia near Waycross, from one of a series of wildfires that officials are calling the largest they’ve seen in the past five years.
Firefighters are having a hard time getting containment on the largest fire, with winds pushing southeast and driving the blaze. One-thousand citizens in south-Waycross were evacuated as a precaution. Ware County schools are once again not is session today. 11 homes have been lost to the fires. There have been no fatalities or injuries. One firefighter yesterday was treated for a minor injury.
This morning, the fire moved into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Evacuated yesterday was the Okefenokee Swamp Park, which attracts thousands of visitors each year. Bears, reptiles and other animals were moved to safety also.
The Georgia Forestry Commission 'incident commander’ on the scene says there are four active fires that are being worked. The second-largest fire in Brantley County has burned two-thousand acres. Officials report that blaze is nearly 25-percent contained.
Together, the fires have burned 25-thousand acres.
