Crews battle wildfire at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

South Georgia residents might notice smoky skies when they step outside.

That’s because crews are working to fight a wildfire in the Okeefenokee Wildlife Reserve.

The fire has spread across nearly 20,000 acres.

Smoke has filled the roads and the air, small flames, and a few larger ones, can be seen almost everywhere.

WALB’s Caitlyn Chastain got a look inside the more than 18 thousand acre fire at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.

“It has spread fast in the past couple of days. Particularly in the afternoon,” explained Information Officer Susan Granbery.

A lightning strike started the fire on April 6, and the blaze quickly grew.

Know that we’re doing everything we can. We’ve got highly skilled firefighters that are just working very hard to keep everybody’s homes and property safe,” Granbery said.

Currently, nearly 200 people are helping contain the fire, including a helicopter surveying the area and multiple crews on the ground.

Since natural fires are good for the swamp, right now, firefighters are only putting out the fire on private property, and containing the fire that’s burning in the wildlife refuge.

“People are going to continue to see smoke,” said Granbery. “They are going to continue to see the heavy equipment and firefighters coming into town.”