A wildfire has burned hundreds of acres on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge after a lightning strike on August 16 sparked a blaze. Recently, helicopter crews with Chatham County Mosquito Control stepped in to help extinguish the fire after the Chatham Emergency Management Agency received a request for assistance from the state.

As of Monday, August 24, the two helicopter pilots had logged nearly 45 flight hours and dropped a combined 1,140 buckets, carrying 128,616 gallons of water, on the island to help suppress the fire.

According to the Western Fire Chiefs Association Map, which shows near real-time wildfire activity across the United States, the Wassaw fire has burned more than 800 acres on the south end of the island.

Located about 14 miles southeast of Savannah, the 10,053-acres uninhabited barrier island contains little development and was designated a National Wildlife Refuge in 1969.