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AP
Officials battling two large wildfires in southern Georgia say firefighters are bracing for a long battle even after weekend rains boosted their containment efforts. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp toured the fire areas Tuesday and told reporters that we're going to be in this for a while. That's after rain Sunday gave crews an opening to improve containment of a fire in rural Brantley County from 6% to 32%. Officials said that fire has destroyed more than 80 homes. Georgia Forestry Commission director Johnny Sabo said crews have held the second fire in Clinch and Echols counties to roughly the same footprint for days. That fire has burned across more than 50 square miles.
AP
One of two large wildfires in southeastern Georgia continues to grow and now exceeds 31 square miles. The Highway 82 Fire has been burning since April 20 and as of Saturday had destroyed at least 87 homes. Officials say Sunday that it was only 7% contained. Brantley County Manager Joey Cason says in a Facebook post that the fire doubled in size from Saturday night and will be further impacted by the wind. Cason also said evacuation notices could be issued and residents should heed them. A second fire about 70 miles to the southwest, near the Florida state line, had burned more than 46 square miles as of Saturday.
AP
Two wildfires in southeastern Georgia continue to threaten homes and lives as officials warn that strong winds could spread the flames. Brantley County Manager Joey Cason posted a video to social media on Saturday morning. In it, he calls for residents to please evacuate if they get an evacuation order. The Highway 82 Fire has been burning since Monday and has destroyed at least 87 homes. The fires perimeter is more than 14.8 square miles. Meanwhile, a second fire about 70 miles to the southwest in Clinch and Echols counties has burned more than 46.9 square miles and destroyed at least 35 homes. As of Saturday, both were only about 10% contained.
AP
Officials are ordering more evacuations for residents near a large wildfire that has destroyed dozens of homes in rural southeast Georgia. The blaze has consumed more than 8 square miles since it ignited Monday in Brantley County. The flames have been fanned by gusty winds and are fueled by pine woods parched by drought. No injuries have been reported but nearly 90 homes have been destroyed. Local officials have ordered evacuations over an expanding area almost daily, including Friday as winds push flames toward more homes. Roughly 200 people have been ordered to flee. The Brantley County wildfire is among more than 150 that crews are battling in Georgia and Florida.
AP
Wildfires tearing through the South this week have forced hundreds of residents in Georgia to flee in minutes. Many have no idea what happened to the homes and animals they left behind. The fires that sparked up during an extreme drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away. Air quality warnings remain in effect Thursday across the Southeast. The two biggest fires in southern Georgia have spread rapidly over the past two days and destroyed more than 50 homes in rural areas. Its not known yet how the wildfires started, but the bottom half of Georgia and northern Florida are both extremely dry.