100,000-acre fire in wildlife refuge forces evacuations in Georgia

CHARLTON COUNTY, Ga. — A second round of evacuations is underway because of a swamp fire raging in south Georgia.

The communities being evacuated are on the edge of Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The flames have burned more than 137,000 acres in the area as of Wednesday. The wildfire is only about 12 percent contained.

Randy Dukes told WSB-TV’s Liz Artz that he was evacuated Monday evening from his Charlton County home, taking a carload of belongings that he and his wife packed up.

[PHOTOS: 100,000-acre fire in wildlife refuge forces evacuations in Georgia]

Artz said the area was smokier on Tuesday. Authorities told her that the blazes were raging even more.

A total of 80 people had been evacuated as of Tuesday afternoon.

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"Pictures and clothes, and my antique gun. That’s about it," Dukes said about what he had packed up. "I stayed out there as long as I could."

Dukes said he had no choice but to leave his cats behind.

“I’m a little worried about my cats," Dukes told Artz.

Artz stopped by a shelter Monday evening that was set up for south Georgia residents, like Dukes. As wind direction changes and more evacuations are ordered, the Red Cross shelters are prepared to house as many people as needed.

"It’s been burning like a month, it seems like. It could have been put out by now," Dukes said.

Everyone living in the Moniac area was evacuated Monday afternoon because of the fires.

"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.

Bulgar has lived in Saint George all her life. She said her family had to evacuate for the first time, because of a fire.

“It's the worst we've ever seen. We've dealt with fires. What I can remember, we had a bad fire in 1999 and a lady lost her house. We were worried then about evacuating,” Bulgar said.

Her grandmother, who lives only a block from where Highways 94 and 121 intersect, was forced from her home on Sunday night.

"She left and went home with us last night because it got close to the crossroads here,” Bulgar said.

More than 600 firefighters from across the country are now working to control the wildfire, which has burned more than 137,000 acres in south Georgia.

Fire crews said late Monday afternoon that they were strongly encouraging everyone who lives in the Moniac area to evacuate.

Bulgar's grandmother lives fewer than 3 miles away.

“My plan is (stay) here until they tell us it is so close we have to leave. And then we will get her and we'll go back to my house in Florida,” Bulgar said.

The fire broke out in early April after a lightning strike. It aggressively moved south on Sunday, burning an additional 4,000 acres and jumping across Highway 94 at Boggy Break.

"I will pull her out before it's time. If she loses her house, that can be replaced, but she cannot," Bulgar said.

Cox Media Group