Wildfire at national wildlife refuge 90 percent contained
Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, February 17, 2016
- A massive wildfire stretching from southeast Jackson County across the Alabama state line was still burning as of midday Tuesday, although officials say the fire is now at 50 percent containment.
MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP) — Federal officials say a wildfire that began near a Mississippi nature preserve and spread to Alabama is nearly contained.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Brittany Petersen said in a statement that the fire has burned roughly 4,250 acres and was 90 percent contained as of Tuesday night.
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Officials have said the fire began on private property and has burned 2,208 acres of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighters are continuing cleanup efforts, monitoring roads and potential hot spots. Rain earlier in the week helped with containment efforts, but storms also grounded air operations.
The Alabama and Mississippi forestry commissions, the Jackson County Mississippi Office of Emergency Services and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources are helping battle the fire.
