Bugaboo Scrub Fire
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Bugaboo Fire was a
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
that helped feed one of the largest fires in Georgia history. It raged from April to June 2007 and ultimately merged with other fires becoming the largest fire in the history of both
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. The Bugaboo, which was not actually named until it had blazed for nearly a month, started in the
Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Ref ...
, most of which is located in Georgia. It merged with the Sweat Farm Road Fire creating the largest south Georgia fire in documented history. It was the culmination of several converging fires.


Georgia

On April 16, a downed power line started the Sweat Farm Road fire southwest of Waycross. When it entered the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offic ...
on April 21, it was renamed Big Turnaround. Close by, the Bugaboo Fire was ignited by lightning on May 5. By May 20, the fires converged and became the Georgia Bay Complex - one of the largest fires in the South and the nation. This fire started when a tree fell on a
power line An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and Electric power distribution, distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more electrical conductor, conductors (commonly mu ...
on April 16, during high
wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
s (caused by the
April 2007 nor'easter The April or Spring nor'easter of 2007 was a nor'easter that affected mainly the eastern parts of North America during its four-day course, from April 14 to April 17, 2007. The combined effects of high winds, heavy rainfall, and high tides led ...
and a strong
high-pressure system A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...
), and low
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
along with
drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
conditions. By April 30, it had burned about 80,000 acres (320 km2)—about 20% of which was in the refuge—and had also destroyed 22 homes, and forced the evacuations of over 1,000 people. A
fire break A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...
long was bulldozed through the
pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
to protect the city of Waycross, but there were
breach Breach, Breached, or The Breach may refer to: Places * Breach, Kent, United Kingdom * Breach, West Sussex, United Kingdom * ''The Breach'', Great South Bay in the State of New York People * Breach (DJ), an Electronic/House music act * Mirosla ...
es of the line. The
governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's Georgia National Guard, National Guard, when not in federal service, and Georgia State Defense Force, State Defense Fo ...
made a disaster declaration, making Ware and Brantley counties eligible for government aid. Smoke closed several roads in the area, including U.S. 1. By May 9, the main fire had consumed over 116,000 acres (469 km2), mainly south of Waycross, east of Fargo and west of Folkston in the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offic ...
. Many cities were threatened, but were never under siege.
Subtropical Storm Andrea The name Andrea has been used for three tropical cyclones, two subtropical cyclones, and one extratropical cyclone worldwide. In the Atlantic Ocean: *Subtropical Storm Andrea (2007) – formed near Florida, curved to the north, bringing rain to por ...
—which some had hoped might bring relief—apparently exacerbated the situation, as it drove strong winds into the fire but brought very little
rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...
. These winds may have been the reason that the fire then blew across the border into
northeast Florida Florida's First Coast, or simply the First Coast, is the Atlantic coast of North Florida in the United States. It is the same general area as the directional region of Northeast Florida. It consists roughly of the counties abutting Jacksonville: ...
.


Florida

On May 8, the Bugaboo fire was started by
lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
at Bugaboo Island in the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offic ...
, and soon crept over the state line into Florida (and hence became the
retronym A retronym is a newer name for something that differentiates it from something else that is newer, similar, or seen in everyday life; thus, avoiding confusion between the two. Etymology The term ''retronym'', a neologism composed of the combi ...
ed Bugaboo Scrub fire). It expanded extraordinarily quickly, combining with other fires that were already blazing in Georgia, and by May 16 had grown to 120,000 acres (490 km2). By May 22 it had burned 475,000 acres (1,920 km2) in Georgia and Florida. By the end of May had burned. The
Florida Folk Festival Florida Folk Festival is a long-running annual folk music festival in Hamilton County, Florida. It began in 1953. Thelma Boltin was an organizer for the festival. The festival has also featured presentations in the Mikasuki language. References ...
, the nation's oldest continuous festival, was cancelled for the first time because of the fire. (It was later rescheduled for November.) The major fire which entered from Georgia caused closures of
Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
from the state line (and at times as far north as
Valdosta Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, which in 2023 had a metropolitan population of 151,118, according to the US Census B ...
) to
Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
. I-10 also had sections closed as well, sometimes as long as 40 mile (65 km). The
detour __NOTOC__ A detour or (British English: diversion) is a (normally temporary) route taking traffic around an area of prohibited or reduced access, such as a construction site. Standard operating procedure for many roads departments is to route an ...
by the
Georgia State Patrol The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) was established in March 1937 in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is a division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. It is the primary state patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia. Al ...
and
Florida Highway Patrol The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is a division of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It is Florida's highway patrol, highway State Police (United States), patrol and is the primary law enforcement agency charged with in ...
doubled the distance to travel between Valdosta and Gainesville (from to 180) and tripled the time normally required to make the trip. Hundreds were evacuated from homes in
Columbia County, Florida Columbia County is a County (United States), county located in the North Central Florida, north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 69,698, up from 67,531 at the 2010 ...
late on May 10, and a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
was declared.


The reach of the smoke

During the time these fires were burning, thick, sooty
smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...
blanketed the city of
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
and the entire area of northeast Florida and southeast Georgia for many days. At times, the
smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...
reduced visibility to under a quarter of a mile and caused many health concerns. On May 22, 2007, from southern Georgia to Metro
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, residents awoke to a blanket of smoke across the horizon. A strong smoke smell was very clear, and there were reports of people with irritated eyes, noses, and lungs. Some people with
asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...
were rushed to hospitals as a result of the smoke.
Smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...
at times reduced
visibility In meteorology, visibility is the measure of the distance at which an object or light can be clearly discerned. It depends on the Transparency and translucency, transparency of the surrounding air and as such, it is unchanging no matter the amb ...
as far south as
central Florida Central Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, in ...
, and was even blown all the way down to
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
in
south Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
, putting the local
air quality index An air quality index (AQI) is an indicator developed by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. As air pollution levels rise, so does the AQI, along with the a ...
in the unhealthy range. Smoke later drifted across southern
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
and even to
Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...
.Wildfire Smoke Drifts Across State Lines
/ref> By June 22, the wildfires in Georgia were largely contained. The containment came after beneficial, heavy rain blanketed the region from
Tropical Storm Barry The name Barry has been used for eight tropical cyclones worldwide: seven in the Atlantic Ocean and one in the Australian region. In the Atlantic: *Hurricane Barry (1983), made landfall on Florida as a tropical storm, weakened to a depression befor ...
in June 2007.


See also

* Honey Prairie Fire


References


External links


FCN storyLatest NWS fire weather advisory for Ware county
*
NASA satellite picture and article''Orlando Sentinel'' article''St. Petersburg Times'' article, May 15Lake Okeechobee Florida Brushfire Video June 16
Stormvideographer
Buckhead Ridge Florida Wildfire Video May 29
Stormvideographer * {{Coord, 31.191, -82.510, type:event_region:US-GA, display=title 2007 wildfires in the United States Wildfires in Georgia (U.S. state) Fires in Florida Natural disasters in Florida Ware County, Georgia Brantley County, Georgia Clinch County, Georgia Gilmer County, Georgia Murray County, Georgia Columbia County, Florida 2007 in Florida 2007 in Georgia (U.S. state)