widfires News

Rains Nearly Extinguish Vast Georgia Wildfire Burning Since April

A wildfire that burned vast acreage and at one point threatened hundreds of homes near the Georgia-Florida state line has been nearly extinguished after steady rains soaked the Okefenokee Swamp over the past week. The team fighting the blaze now …

Evacuation Order Lifted for Georgia Residents Near Okefenokee Wildfire

A mandatory evacuation order has been lifted for two south Georgia towns threatened for days last week by a wildfire that had spread outside the boundaries of the neighboring Okefenokee swamp. Authorities say evacuation orders in place for about a …

Evacuations Continue in Georgia Wildfire Zone But Many Defy Orders

Jessica Boldin and her family evacuated 15 horses, six dogs and other animals from their ranch in rural Georgia as a vast wildfire emerging from the Okefenokee Swamp blackened trees behind their home. Flames that pushed within 3 miles (5 …

Dozens Forced to Evacuate in Southern Georgia as Wildfire Spreads

Several dozen people in Georgia’s southernmost county have been evacuated after a wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp has begun to burn just a few miles from the St. George community. Saturday’s evacuation initially included a sparsely populated rural area of …

Wildfire in Georgia Wildlife Refuge Grows to 6,000 Acres, Spares Communities

A wildfire sparked by lightning in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is spreading through government-owned swamp and forestland, having burned more than 9 square miles (23.3 square km) near the Georgia-Florida state line. Susan Heisey, supervisory ranger for the refuge, …

Californians Pushed by Wildfires into High-risk Insurance Market

There are lots of reasons people live in California’s Modjeska Canyon. Nestled against the mountains and abutting the Cleveland National Forest, the area has abundant wildlife and access to nature, yet is just a 20 minute drive from larger Orange …

Warm Weather, Dry Conditions Could Mean More Wildfires in Northeast

Northeastern states are not known for frequent wildfires and brushfires. But that could be changing this spring as the region faces record-high temperatures and unusually dry conditions. “With more than 15,000 temperature records broken in the U.S. in March 2012 …

Land O’Lakes Gives $10K to Texas Volunteer Fire Departments

Land O’Lakes Inc. Foundation has donated $10,000 to Texas Forest Service’s Volunteer Fire Department assistance fund. Volunteer fire departments served as the first line of defense against wildfires that devastated the Lone Star State this year. More than 29,000 blazes …