( CNN ) -- All entrances to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge are closed through the holiday weekend as firefighters continue to battle a 10-week-old blaze that has burned well over half the 400,000-acre preserve . Jason Curry , a spokesman for the federal Incident Management Team , said the preserve will be shuttered to the public indefinitely -- at least until authorities , likely with major help from the weather , get it under control . The group is trying to corral what is being called the Honey Prairie Complex Fire . `` Mother Nature is in charge , with both the cause of the fire and the resolution to it , '' he said . Lightning first sparked a fire on April 28 and it has been burning , in some form , ever since -- consuming about 268,000 of the refuge 's 402,000 acres . National Weather Service meteorologist Coleen Decker noted that there 's no immediate relief in sight . `` We are looking forward to dry conditions , with relative humidity near 30 to 35 % ( and ) temperatures slightly above normal at 95 degrees , '' she said of the upcoming forecast for the region . `` We are not expecting significant precipitation until Tuesday . '' Centuries ago , the Native Americans called this area Okefenoka , meaning `` Land of the Trembling Earth , '' according to the refuge 's website . Currently , this large swath of territory in south Georgia and north Florida -- which includes cypress forest , lakes and islands , in addition to marsh -- is home to more than 400,000 species of animals including alligators , Sandhill cranes and red-cockaded woodpeckers . While the threat has been ongoing , closures of certain once public parts of the park picked up last month . That includes the June 9 suspension of all boating from Kingfisher Landing , the June 13 closure of the Suwanee Canal Recreation Area and all hiking trails near the east entrance , and the June 16 closure of Stephen C. Foster State Park . While the Okefenokee is best known for its swamp , this moisture has done little to prevent further destruction . One major reason is that the region is in the third year of a drought , significantly decreasing water levels in the region . Another complication is the terrain : The swamp makes it hard for bulldozers and engines to penetrate into certain areas . Curry said six helicopters and 76 fire engines have been assigned to fight the blaze . `` Accessibility is a problem , and you do n't want to upset the water flows , '' the spokesman said of the sensitive environmental area . As Curry noted , wildfires are nothing new to the swamp , helping shape the terrain , clear out loose debris and provide good conditions for some vegetation . `` Fire is part of how the swamp forms and continues to do its thing , '' he said . `` It has been part of the swamp for longer than we 've been around . '' Authorities ' primary focus continues to be making sure that the blaze does not engulf any properties surrounding the refuge , something that Curry said was not imminent but could happen at any moment , with a sudden and strong wind shift . The fire has had minimal impact on wildlife , said James Burkhart , fire information officer for the refuge . Turtles and the estimated 10,000 to 12,000 alligators are able to burrow into watery peat beds or below river banks . Burkhart , who worked for more than 30 years as a ranger at the refuge , said a 2007 wildfire was more problematic because of higher sustained winds . Since 1988 , a cycle of droughts have contributed to swamp fires , he added . Once visitors are allowed back in , they will be able to enjoy vistas not available for years , Burkhart told CNN . A special treat is seeing wintering Sandhill cranes from mid-November to February , he said . Recent thunderstorms have dropped several inches of rain . But while such sporadic rains may help temporarily slow the fire , nothing has stopped it yet . That will require a significant and notable weather change , most likely in the form of a massive and sustained rainfall . `` It 's likely going to take a major weather event -- in other words , rain with a name , '' said Curry , referring to a hurricane , tropical storm or depression . Burkhart said the Okefenokee Swamp symbolizes the ideal environment . `` It 's a complete natural ecosystem , '' he said . `` It operates completely on its own . '' CNN 's Phil Gast contributed to this report .
A wildfire that began April 28 is still raging in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge . Some 268,000 of the park 's 402,000 acres have burned and there 's no clear end in sight . All entrances to the refuge have been closed indefinitely , a fire spokesman says . Score: 6