UPDATE (11/17/2025)
11:07 a.m.:
As of Sunday afternoon, the wildfire in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is at 100% containment, an official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told ABC 27.
They say they are still monitoring the area due to the dryness, but for the most part, employees will return to routine operations.
(11/14/2025)
10:55 a.m.:
An official with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service told ABC27 this morning that while the fire is still at 90% containment, the firefighters are making a difference with the work they're doing.
A drone flight this morning revealed significantly less heat than on Thursday, which is good news, according to Jon Wallace with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
He says there are no closures on Highway 98, and there are no issues with smoke this morning.
(11/13/2025)
9:45 a.m.:
FHP says all roadways are back open.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife official told ABC 27 this morning that the fire remains at 90% containment and that crews will once again be out there today to extinguish hot spots and smoldering. They tell us it's so dry outside that the fire is burning down into the peat and duff, which makes it hard to put the fire completely out.
They say they anticipate that containment will stay at 90% for several days until crews can get all of the heat extinguished that is close to the perimeter of the fire.
8:15 a.m.:
Due to the wildfire on US-98, FHP announced Thursday morning that traffic will be shut down to one lane 2 miles East of Newport in Wakulla County, citing visibility issues.
FHP says traffic will be controlled by troopers until FDOT arrives with MOT.
At last check, the fire was 90% contained, and crews stayed on scene to monitor possible flare-up spots.
UPDATE:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife employees were alerted to a wildfire on refuge property Tuesday afternoon and quickly swung into action. The fire is now 90% contained, and they are continuing to monitor it.
- Fire crews with the refuge and Florida Forest Service have been on the scene of this fire since Tuesday afternoon.
- There is no known cause or start time for the fire.
- Watch the video below to learn more about this fire and how the refuge is handling the situation.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Crews are monitoring what’s left of a wildfire here in Wakulla County. How the fire started and when it started are unknown, but public safety was their first priority when trying to stop it.
This fire burned around 144 acres of national refuge land about a half a mile from Lighthouse Road along Highway 98 in Wakulla County. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service was made aware of this fire around 3 pm Tuesday afternoon and had it mostly contained by 10 p.m.
The crews are calling the fire about 90% contained, as there are some hot spots. Jon Wallace, who's with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says they’re still monitoring.
"We do have a full crew out there right now that's steadily working, making sure the fire is held to its current footprint and doesn't spread any further than it already has," said Wallace.
The wildfire is what's called a grade-six fire. According to Wallace, the low temperatures and lighter winds this week made it harder to detect.
Even though they were aware around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, he thinks it could have started that morning or even as far back as Monday night.
He also says that the ongoing drought conditions contributed to this fire. The current drought monitor has 99.12% of Wakulla County in the severe drought category.
Wallace says that regardless of the shutdown, the fire crews at the refuge have continued to work to keep people safe in the refuge.
"So ensuring public safety is huge for us. It's huge for the Fish and Wildlife Service and for the fire service as a whole," explained Wallace. "And so our response to this fire really wasn't different than it would have been two months ago or three months ago. We came out, we contained the fire to the smallest possible size, and we worked with all of our cooperators in this efficient system that's built here in Florida to make sure the public was safe."
They hope the fire will be 100% contained by Wednesday.
They say they are working with the Florida Highway Patrol to monitor the remaining smoke should winds push it onto Highway 98.
Original:
ABC 27 is learning more information regarding a wildfire that's happening in Wakulla County.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official says the fire began sometime Tuesday morning, possibly the night before, in a remote wooded area about a half mile east of St. Marks River, near the intersection of US 98 and Lighthouse Rd.
They say it's 90% contained and that they’re still monitoring some hot spots that could flare up.
The official says the low temperatures and lighter winds made it hard for the fire to be seen. They said the Southwest winds are pushing smoke across US 98.
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