FARGO, Ga. — Evacuation orders for small towns in the path of the raging Okefenokee Swamp fire have been lifted, a firefighter said Sunday.

The West Mims Fire, first reported April 6, spread to more than 152,000 acres by Sunday, according to a statement from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The towns of St. George and Moniac had been under mandatory evacuation orders, but those orders have been cancelled, said Thomas Schafer, public information officer for the West Mim Fire command post.

As much as two inches of rain fell on portions of the fire Saturday, he said. “That will help us for a couple of days as fire activity decreases,” Schafer said. “Then, later in the week, temperatures are supposed to rise and humidity’s supposed to decrease, so fire activity could increase.”

More than 850 firefighters, 11 helicopters, five aerial fire tankers and almost 100 fire engines have been thrown into the fight against the blaze.

Ashley Tye, Lowndes County’s Emergency Management Agency manager, and Paige Dukes, Lowndes’ public information officer, went to the fire area Thursday to check on local personnel and see what they needed. Dukes said the firefighters are well-supplied; the only thing they need more of, she said, is “cool wrap,” bandanas which remain cool after being soaked with water.

Those wishing to donate cool wraps may drop them off at the utilities payment window on the first floor of the Lowndes County Judicial/Administrative Complex, 237 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, she said. Donations of goods not specifically asked for will only complicate matters, Dukes said.

Burn bans are in place across several counties, including Clinch, and the Stephen C. Foster State Park inside the national refuge remains closed.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.