Bugaboo scrub fire

Bugaboo Fire
The Bugaboo Fire rages out of control in Lake City, Florida.
Location	Georgia and Florida
Statistics
Date(s)	April 2007 – June 2007

The Bugaboo Fire was a wildfire that helped feed one of the largest fires in Georgia history. It raged from April to June 2007 and ultimately merging with other fires becoming the largest fire in the history of both Georgia and Florida. The Bugaboo, which was not actually named until it had blazed for nearly a month, started in the Okefenokee Swamp, most of which is located in Georgia. It merged with the Sweat Farm Road Fire creating the largest south GA fire in documented history. It was the culmination of several converging fires.

On April 16, a downed power line started the Sweat Farm Road fire southwest of Waycross. When it entered the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 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 on April 16, during high winds (caused by the April 2007 nor'easter and a strong high-pressure system), and low humidity along with drought 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 12 miles (19 km) long was bulldozed through the pine forest to protect the city of Waycross, but there were of the line. The governor of Georgia made a disaster declaration, making Ware and Brantley counties eligible for government aid.