West Mims fire: 2 days of rain will 'go a long way' toward helping firefighters

Though Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia are getting much-needed rain, there are still portions of the West Mims wildfire in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that crews are "pouring buckets" on.

The fire is 60 percent contained and has burned 152,478 acres, according to the latest update from officials.

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On the fire's east side, crews said they were "'pouring buckets' on areas that have flared up in recent days."

On Tuesday, there were more than 400 lightning strikes from thunderstorms in the Okefenokee swamp. On the fire's southside, lightning struck a tree and started a fire, which crews were able to put out.

Meanwhile, on the southeast side of the fire, large trees and peat in Whites Flat Bay "continue to hold significant heat."

"[This two-day rain event] is not fixing the swamp. It’s not fixing the drought," the fire behavior analyst told crews at the Wednesday morning operational briefing.

Updates: Strong storms hit Jacksonville

Officials said the rain is just providing crews with a short break to further suppress the existing fire before potential flare-ups and new starts require their attention later this week.

First Alert Weather Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh echoed that sentiment during a Facebook Live broadcast on the Action News Jax Facebook page:

"It won't completely put out that fire 100 percent, but boy, it's going to go a long way toward helping those firefighters," Buresh said.

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