A thick layer of smoke hung in the air this morning as I opened the front door for Metro. The wind shift over night has once again sent a pungent reminder that the ordeal for the folk around the Okefenokee is far from over. The sun glowed a orange-red for an hour longer than normal this morning.
Lastest update from Waycross:
Number of acres burned: An estimated 22,000.
Size of the fire: One mile wide; 11 miles long.
The fire is about 25 percent contained.
Number of homes destroyed: 14.
Number of firefighters on the scene: 300.
Fire break: Twelve plows side-by-side cutting a 12-mile-long swath between the fire and Waycross.
Number of injuries: Three firefighters, one with a broken leg, one with a broken wrist and one with heat exhaustion.
Overhead flight restriction by Federal Aviation Administration: 8 miles from fire.
Cost: Undetermined.
Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance: 75 percent of eligible costs.
Number of evacuation areas reopened to residents: None.
State highways closed: U.S. 84 and Georgia 122 in Ware County; Georgia 177 between U.S. 1 and Okefenokee Swamp Park.
Other closures: Ware County public schools; Waycross College; Okefenokee Technical College; Okefenokee Swamp Park.
