There are signs the wildlife in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is surviving the wildfire fine. The park’s official Facebook page posted a video on Thursday, May 20, of a bald eagle taking flight near where the West Mims Fire is burning.
The fire has now burned through 152,478 acres, an approximate 250 acre increase overnight, and is 60 percent contained. More than 1,000 firefighters using 10 helicopters, 3 fixed-wing air tankers, 136 wildland fire engines and 61 bulldozers are fighting the wildfire, which started on April 6 after a lightning strike. People in Charlton County were forced from their homes when the fire extended beyond the refuge, but the evacuation orders were lifted a week ago.
