FOLKSTON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say a fire in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge along the Georgia-Florida border has nearly tripled since Friday.

The fire is consuming 44,000 acres after winds shifted Saturday from the northwest to the southwest. Authorities say the blaze is approaching the eastern refuge boundary southwest of Folkston and the western edge near Fargo.

That's still a small fraction of the swamp's 438,000 acres, where periodic fire is needed to keep the swamp from becoming overgrown and converting to uplands.

All boating has been suspended at the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area as a precaution. And Stephen C. Foster State Park has closed until the fire is under control.

Authorities are urging all motorists traveling through the area to use caution because of possible smoke in the roadway.