Terry Richards | The Valdosta Daily TimesA helicopter scoops up water from a small pond Monday while battling the fire in the Okefenokee Swamp.

FARGO, Ga. — This wasn’t Leland Bass’ first time fighting a fire in South Georgia.

The Georgia Forestry Commission firefighter from Athens came down to the Clinch County area in 2011, spending 40 days fighting a blaze in the swamp.

Now he and other firefighters from as far afield as Texas are at it again, battling flames in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that has scorched more than 20,000 acres and caused concern about the safety of homes in Fargo.

“The guys down here love doing this,” he said while driving the bumpy dirt roads around the rim of the refuge. “We like helping people.”

The fire, caused by a lightning strike, was first reported April 6, according to a statement from the refuge. By Monday, more than 200 firefighters, two helicopters, 27 engines and a small army of heavy equipment were tackling the blaze. Smoke covered most of Clinch County Monday and could be found as far as Lowndes County.

The Clinch County Commission issued a fire watch for Fargo Saturday night, advising citizens to keep a sharp lookout and to prepare a “go bag” of necessities in case an evacuation had to be ordered. Fire authorities planned to hold a “town hall” meeting with Fargo citizens Monday night to update them on their firefighting progress.

Susan Granpery was preparing to hand out literal “go bags” — blue bags with a list of essential evacuation supplies printed on the side  — at the meeting. She and other public information officers for the forestry commission, including Bass, were working out of a tiny room in the Fargo Magnet School normally used as a public library. Surrounded by V.C. Andrews and Tom Clancy paperbacks, they worked to update social media and websites, as well as fielding questions from the press.

Granpery said no one had been injured by the blaze. An EMT crew was standing by just a few miles down the road in case firefighters needed medical help. 

“People don’t give the EMTs enough credit,” Bass said.

Concern about flames near Fargo center on 34 homes near Ga. 177, Granpery said. While there are no flames in the back yard yet, authorities are keeping an eye on the area.

Out on the dirt roads, Bass pointed out a hunting camp that had been saved from the flames. Many trees at the camp were a deep, rust-red color.

“That’s from the fire retardant,” he said.

Crews and trucks could be seen scattered across the patchwork network of dirt roads. One crew was dousing a small blaze while another a few miles away was pumping water out of a small pond to refill a truck.

At an assembly point near railroad tracks, a tanker from the Florida Forest Service waited to top off thirsty fire trucks. At another gathering spot, firefighters took a break and rehydrated while a helicopter crew landed.

Helicopters were making runs for small ponds in the area, hovering low enough to fill huge bags with water before flying off to dump them on hot spots. The turnaround time from pickup to dumping to a return to the pond was about five minutes.

Heading back to the makeshift information office at the school, Bass said safety is job number one. Firefighters in the field are equipped with a small book detailing everything from building fire breaks to waving in helicopters.

“We don’t want anyone becoming a hero for a tree,” he said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.