FOLKSTON, Ga. —
A wildfire that charred more than 483 square miles of the Okefenokee Swamp was declared extinguished a few days shy of the anniversary of its ignition, officials in southeast Georgia said Tuesday.
A lightning strike started the Honey Prairie fire on April 28 last year and the blaze rapidly spread through the tinder-dry swamp near the Georgia-Florida state line. Firefighters succeeded in containing most of the blaze within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, then waited months for clues that the fire had burned itself out and would not rekindle.
Months after the last active flames were spotted, refuge officials feared the fire was still smoldering underground, fueled by dead vegetation beneath the swamp’s surface. A wet start to 2012 helped alleviate those fears, with the Okefenokee receiving nearly 13 inches of rain January through March.
Refuge officials watched closely for new signs of life from the fire last week when dry weather, low humidity and gusty winds — perfect conditions for rekindling — returned to the swamp. Mike Housh, the fire management officer assigned to the refuge, declared the fire extinguished after no new signs of smoke or heat were detected.
No homes were lost and no serious injuries were reported from the Honey Prairie fire, which burned a total of 309,200 acres. Only 18,206 aces — or 28 square miles — burned outside the federal refuge.
At the fire’s peak last June, more than 1,458 firefighters and support personnel were assigned to fighting the giant blaze.
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