Fire Continues To Spread In Georgia Wildlife Refuge

In Florida's Pasco County, north of Tampa, firefighters battled a massive wildfire in Starkey Wilderness Park that grew to more than 3 square miles over the weekend. As of Monday, the fire had burned 210 square miles (544 square kilometers), including about 37 square miles (95 square kilometers) in Charlton County.

Officials with the Charlton County Fire Department went door to door Monday to notify residents who didn't learn about the evacuation order through local or social media.

Stimulated by dry weather, the fire has scorched roughly 134,000 acres since it broke out last month following a lightning strike in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

At 4 p.m. Sunday, a tractor plow in the southern area of the fire became disabled when it caught on a stump, according to a refuge statement.

Pair said perhaps half of his neighbors had heeded the order to evacuate.

The air smelled like a campfire Monday outside Mason Pair's home in St. George as he pointed to large flakes of ash in his front yard.

Although the fire has not jumped the St. Marys River, which makes up the state line, authorities have evacuated some parts of Nassau County, Fla., as well.

Six years ago, a wildfire burned more than 300,000 acres of the 407,000-acre refuge, said Mark Davis, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which runs the refuge.

"I got a call that there were 100 foot flames and it was coming towards town again and I got here and it's glowing", Chasidy Bulgar said.

Officials weren't forcing people to leave their homes, but were urging them to get out before the fire gets any closer, said Susan Heisey, supervisory ranger for the Okefenokee refuge.

Over 620 firefighting personnel have been assigned to fight the blaze, which is 12 percent contained. Helicopters dumping water and tanker planes spraying fire retardant managed to keep the fire from spreading to homes in St. George over the weekend.

"At the pace this is unfolding, they're too busy dealing with the fire", he's said. Emergency officials in surrounding Charlton County ordered those communities to evacuate as flames crept close Sunday.

The American Red Cross established a shelter at the recreation center in Kingsland on Sunday for evacuees related to the West Mims fire, but it still sat empty on Monday.

"But we've got goats and chickens", Lisa Burnsed said. "And we don't know how we're going to get them out". Burn permits are not being issued in Clinch or Ware counties due to high fire danger.