Helicopters drops water on Ham Lake fire.
Credit: Richard Sennott/Great Basin team

Firefighter battles flames at Ham Lake fire.

Firefighters battling a gigantic blaze in southeast Georgia and northern Florida reported making some progress Sunday even as the Bugaboo blaze grew to more than 233,000 acres or 364 square miles.

Thunderstorms were forecast for late in the day which could bring some much needed rain to the drought-stricken area. It could also bring winds and lightning which could fan flames and spark new fires.

"The storms can be good and bad," said Marlette Lacey, a spokesman for the Joint Information Center. "Hopefully we get rain without the wind and lightning."

Lacey said firefighters on Sunday were "doing pretty good.

"We've made quite an impact today and we're trying to keep it going before the rain comes," she said. "The firefighters are doing pretty good trying to hold the line."

As the massive Bugaboo fire raged, mandatory, voluntary and precautionary evacuations were in place throughout Columbia and Baker counties in Florida as well as in the Georgia towns of Moniac, Reeves Landing and Davis Community.

Portions of Interstates 75 in Georgia and Florida and Interstate 10 in Florida which had been closed due to dense smoke were reopened, but were then closed again. Authorities stressed that frequent closures were possible due to the heavy smoke. Other roads in Georgia and Florida, including U.S. 441, were closed.

The Bugaboo fire, started by lightning last Saturday in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, has more than tripled in size in the last few days. The wildlife center, including its visitor center and headquarters, remain closed.

By Sunday afternoon, it had burned more than 131,000 acres in Georgia and more than 102,000 acres in Florida, officials said. Florida officials reported that the fire was 30 percent contained in their state.

The Bugaboo fire was nearly double the size of the Sweat Farm/Big Turnout blaze that has been burning for four weeks in Ware and Charlton counties in Georgia. Latest estimates for that fire were put at more than 121,000 acres.

Georgia officials said there were 41 active fires burning in the state covering nearly 267,000 acres. In Florida, officials said 225 wildfires were burning in 57 of the state's 67 counties, consuming some 163,000 acres.

Elsewhere, firefighters braced for windy conditions in northeastern Minnesota as they continued to battle the Ham Lake fire. That fire, which began May 5 and has since spread into Canada, burned a total of 53,042 acres, of which about 30,000 acres were on the U.S. side of the border. The fire was 15 percent contained.

Officials on Saturday had revised downward the acreage that had burned from 55,000 acres to 52,000 acres. At the same time, they said the number of buildings destroyed since the fire broke out was three times what had been previously reported. The new figures, reporting that 134 structures with a total value of $3.7 million were destroyed, were based on the latest assessment by the Cook County assessor's office.

More than 200 homes remain threatened.

Officials said there was a slight chance of rain on Sunday but less than one-half inch of rain was predicted. Windy conditions were also forecast which they said could help spread the fire.

"It's kind of a waiting game now to see what happens with the weather," said Jean Schaeppi, a spokesman for Ham Lake fire information.

Evacuation orders were lifted in some areas along the Gunflint Trail. No serious injuries have been reported. In northwestern Ontario, however, officials advised several hundred residents to evacuate. The area consists mostly of cottages and hunting and fishing lodges.

In California, several thousand residents who were forced to evacuate Santa Catalina Island when a wildfire broke out there returned home on Saturday. Tourists were allowed to go to the island, about 20 miles off the Southern California coastline, effective Sunday afternoon.

The island wildfire which began Thursday burned about 4,000 acres but firefighters were able to keep the flames from Avalon, the island's only city. One home and six commercial buildings on the island were destroyed. No serious injuries were reported.

Avalon has a population of about 3,200 people and is a popular tourist destination, attracting millions of visitors each year. The island is served by ferries from Long Beach, San Pedro, Newport Beach and Dana Point as well as by air. Most of the island is controlled by the Catalina Island Conservancy, a private non-profit organization.