It’s Sunday morning, May 15th, and the Honey Prairie Fire has been burning since April 28th…………and still growing! What started as a lightning strike and a little tendril of smoke has now consumed over 127, 000 acres! 
This all sounds very bad and scary, which it is, however fire in the swamp is a natural occurrence and a rejuvenator! All the fire fighters that have come from all over the USA are working, not to put it out, but to contain the fire to the swamp! There is no way it can be fought as the swamp is actually a peat bog with very unstable ground that will swallow up any equipment they use to fight normal wildfires. The goal is to keep it from spreading beyond the perimeter of the swamp to private land and structures.
This is a ground wildfire, not a crown fire in the trees. So it does not “jump'” from tree to tree, instead it burns quickly through the underbrush, without damaging the the trees. Climbing animals and birds find refuge in the tops of the trees and alligators simply find a pond of water in which to hide.
Most of the swamp looks like this, underbrush and scrub-shrub……….
….and the forested areas are of tall pines with saw palmetto and grasses beneath. It is the undergrowth that is burning quickly and not damaging the trees.
These pictures show show how life in the swamp goes on…..
This is growth 1 week after a “prescribed” burn….
It was very scary for us in the beginning, but as we learned more about fires in the swamp and the fire fighting techniques we are finding the process to be fascinating. The professionalism of all the brave guys and gals is phenomenal! Not only the fire fighters, but the folks behind the scenes too.
All these people have to be fed three times a day, no matter where they are on the fire lines. Okefenokee Adventures, the concessionaire on the refuge, has stepped up to provide all the meals, and they are working 24/7 to keep up with the growing numbers to be fed.
Our commitment here ends soon and we will be leaving Oke NWR on the 28th of May, but we can honestly say that this has been an experience like none other and frankly, we hope not to repeat it…………..the fire, that is!!!
Just Us Kids………readying for the road again!
2 comments:
Did you put an X on the map where you guys are? I couldn't find it.
As always, love the pictures!
Michelle & girls
We are at the East Entrance on the map. That is where all the maintenance facilities, heliport, administration, and visitors center is located. There is a GA State Park on the west side of the swamp also, which is closed too. Way up at the north end of the swamp is a private amusement-type park, which so far is still open. Most of the fire and smoke has moved north of us now....thank goodness.
Post a Comment