Page 7 - ARUBA TODAY

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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 9 May 2017

Georgia wildfire: evacuations ordered though many stay put

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press
ST. GEORGE, Ga. (AP) —
The wildfire burning for
weeks in southeast Geor-
gia’s Okefenokee Swamp
had gotten so close that
Mason Pair could see its
orange glow through the
trees as large flakes of ash
rained down around his
home in St. George.
Facing an evacuation
order, Pair and his wife
packed up their valuables
and had a ladder stand-
ing by to put sprinklers on
their roof as the flames ap-
proached over the week-
end.
But like many in this small
community of about 2,000
near the Georgia-Florida In this Saturday, May 6, 2017 photo provided by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge smoke rises from a wildfire east of Fargo,
state line, they remained Ga. Firefighters were battling Sunday to prevent the fire from spreading, authorities said.
home Monday rather than (Ben Palm/Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge via AP)
leave everything to the
mercy of the flames now order to evacuate. getting one little piece of to form a barrier. Highway 94, their main
burning less than 3 miles (5 Officials weren’t forc- ash and the fire’s just pick- Charlton County schools evacuation route, late Sun-
kilometers) from the center ing people to leave their ing up and moving.” were closed Monday be- day and they wanted to
of town. homes, but were urging More than 600 firefight- cause of the blaze and a see if there was still a clear
“It’s a little unnerving,” said them to get out before the ers and support personnel shelter was opened at a way out Monday.
the 26-year-old resident. fire gets any closer, said were fighting the fire Mon- recreation center a safe “It’s going to have to get
“But the flames are going Susan Heisey, supervisory day. Helicopters dumping distance away. pretty close to the house, I
to have to push people ranger for the Okefenokee water and tanker planes James and Lisa Burnsed think, before we just head
out of here.” Emergency refuge. “The accumulated spraying fire retardant drove the 10 miles from out,” James Burnsed said.
officials in south Georgia’s moisture in the vegetation managed to keep the fire their home in Moniac to “We’ve got too much at
Charlton County ordered is at record-breaking lows from St. George homes the four-way stop with stake just to leave it.”
a mandatory evacuation right now,” said Heisey, a over the weekend. Fire- a small grocery on one His wife said they had im-
Sunday for all of St. George spokeswoman for the com- fighters with tractor plows corner that’s the center portant documents, family
and for nearby Moniac, mand team fighting the worked to carve a path of St. George. The fire had photos and spare clothing
small rural communities blaze. “These fuels, they’re bare soil around the town jumped across Georgia packed and ready to go.q
on the edge of the Oke-
fenokee Swamp. Lightning Hawaii probes graffiti found on revered mountain
sparked a wildfire on April
6 inside the vast Okefeno-
kee National Wildlife Ref- By JENNIFER KELLEHER servation and Resources scope. Protesters are fight- painting in a church, in a
uge. The blaze posed little Associated Press Enforcement. Rocks were ing to stop the Thirty Meter synagogue or a temple,”
threat to people or homes HONOLULU (AP) — Authori- painted with the words Telescope from being built she said. “Places of rever-
until Saturday, when strong ties are asking for the pub- “stop” and “bombing,” atop Mauna Kea. ence require pono, or righ-
winds pushed the flames lic’s help in finding out who according to a photo re- The word “bombing” is teous, behavior.”
across the fire breaks painted graffiti on rocks leased by the state Depart- likely a reference to efforts She condemned the van-
plowed along the refuge within a protected area ment of Land and Natural to stop the military from us- dalism as desecration.
perimeter. As of Monday, on one of Hawaii’s most re- Resources. The rocks were ing the Pohakuloa Training “We ask those who support
the fire had burned 210 vered mountains. defaced in the Mauna Kea Area, Kealoha Pisciotta, our stand for (Mauna Kea)
square miles (544 square ki- The vandalized rocks were Ice Age Reserve, an area one of the leaders in the and for protecting Pohaku-
lometers), including about found at about the 10,000- that’s accessible to visitors fight to stop the telescope, loa from live-fire bombing
37 square miles (95 square foot level of 14,000-foot- via trails. Mauna Kea has said Monday. Mauna Kea to join with us in this non-
kilometers) in Charlton high Mauna Kea on April been the focus of protests is sacred because it is con- violent stand committed to
County. 28, said Jason Redulla, by Native Hawaiians who sidered the meeting place honoring the sacredness of
Pair said perhaps half of his deputy enforcement chief say they are protecting the of the gods, Pisciotta said. all beings and places,” she
neighbors had heeded the of the state Division of Con- mountain from a giant tele- “It’s equivalent to spray- said in a statement.q