Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Copyright 2007 Chattanooga Publishing Company
WAYCROSS, Ga. — In the week he’s spent fighting the vast wildfire in Southeast Georgia, Gino Fisher still can’t get used to local residents stopping to shake his hand, pat him on the back and offer hot meals and snacks.
“For a few minutes, you don’t feel like an inmate anymore,” said Fisher, who’s serving a five-year sentence for check forgery at Lee State Prison in Leesburg, about 120 miles east.
Fisher, 34, is also a certified firefighter, one of 220 nonviolent inmates trained by the state while doing time in prisons.
Almost all of them have been called up in weeklong rotations to help fight the blaze that has burned more than 135 square miles of forest in and around the Okefenokee Swamp since April 16.
In addition to inmates, firefighters from Walker County are working to extinguish the fire, said county Fire Chief Randy Camp. The first four Walker firefighters will return Monday and three more were sent today, along with a third county truck.
Adriane Smith, Keegan Romero and Cory Callan will work for seven days before returning, Mr. Camp said.
Authorities expect a long battle before crews can extinguish the vast wildfires.
“This is a long-term battle,” acting Georgia Forestry Commissioner Robert Farris said.
The fire has destroyed 21 homes, but there have been no deaths or serious injuries. It is Georgia’s largest since state record-keeping began in 1957, Farris said.
Gov. Sonny Perdue visited Tuesday and said he would continue seeking federal disaster money to help offset the estimated $18 million cost to fight the blazes.
“We do what it takes, and we do the accounting later,” Perdue said. “When you’re fighting fire, it’s not a time to balance your checkbook.”
Mr. Camp is paying in sweat capital. He has been asked to organize 20 additional people to help battle the blaze. So far, he has six firefighters in line.
Mr. Camp said the conditions are bad, even with more than half of the fire contained.
“A forestry guy said conditions are still pretty bad because the humidity is only 18 percent and they are not anticipating any large amounts of rain in the next three weeks,” he said.
Mr. Camp said the state is reimbursing Walker County for costs associated with sending its firefighters.
They are part of a team of 830 firefighters from across Georgia and neighboring states, and including the inmates. All have been working 12-hour days raking pine straw and dry leaves from residents’ yards to protect homes in the fire’s path.