The Associated Press
LAKE CITY, Fla. — Hope in the form of rain turned to fear of stronger wind gusts Monday as firefighters faced another tough day battling a massive wildfire along the Georgia-Florida line.
The wildfire that raced through the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia and into Florida was started by lightning more than a week ago. By Monday, it had burned 102,500 acres in Florida after charring 132,000 acres in Georgia - more than 366 square miles in all.
Scattered rain showers swept the area Sunday, but the extent of the rain’s effect wasn’t known, and the wind in the fire zone Monday was expected to reach 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Nina Barrow.
In Florida, the blaze was 30 percent contained Monday morning, and the smoke was beginning to lift enough for firefighting aircraft to take off after being grounded all weekend because of low visibility.
Smoke from the fires has plagued drivers in many parts of the state. About 75 miles of Interstates 10 in north Florida and 75 in South Florida were expected to open only intermittently on Monday. About 570 residents still were not allowed to return to 150 homes evacuated between I-10 and the Florida-Georgia state line.
Off Southern California, cool weather Sunday helped firefighters on Santa Catalina Island maintain control of a blaze that had threatened the resort community of Avalon.
The 4,200-acre or 6.5-square-mile fire was 76 percent contained Sunday and was expected to be encircled by Tuesday evening. One home and six businesses burned Thursday but no one was seriously injured.
Elsewhere, a blaze feeding on drought-stricken forest in northern Minnesota was only 15 percent contained as of Sunday. The fire had burned a combined 93 square miles in Minnesota and Canada. Meteorologists said there was a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms Sunday night. The storms weren’t expected to bring enough rain to counterbalance the danger from high winds and lightning.
The fire had closed about half of the 57-mile-long Gunflint Trail, a key route from Grand Marais into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness that is dotted with resorts and lake homes.
Flames jumped a defense line designed to keep it away from 20 or so homes on Loon Lake on Sunday, and helicopters dumped water on the flames to contain it. By Sunday evening, fire officials said, the lines were holding and there had been no new losses of buildings.
Officials said the fire had destroyed 133 buildings, including 61 homes. They estimated the value of buildings lost at $3.7 million.
Georgia officials on Sunday also were working on a new area of flames in the northern part of the state. The fire covered approximately 200 acres in Gilmer County and Murray County, according to Georgia Forestry Commission spokesman Devon Dartnell. It was believed to have been caused by lightning Saturday night, Dartnell said.
The fire burning in southeast Georgia and Florida started May 5 in the middle of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Haze from the fires has traveled as far south as the Miami area, about 340 miles away.
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On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov