NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) — A wildfire that has charred dozens of homes in southeast Georgia prompted officials to order more evacuations Friday as the growing blaze threatened a wider area and fire crews helped residents hose down properties in a scramble to limit the damage.
The fire burning in rural Brantley County has spread across more than 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) since it ignited Monday, fanned by gusty winds into pine woods that are dry as tinder. Nearly 90 homes have been destroyed, some with scorched husks of abandoned cars nearby, among blackened tree trunks and heat-blistered road signs.
The Georgia Forestry Commission said the Brantley County blaze was 15% contained Friday. Local officials have ordered evacuations across an expanding area almost daily, including Friday.
“If you receive a mandatory evacuation notice, we need you to evacuate just as quickly as possible,” Joey Cason, county manager for Brantley County, said in a Facebook video Friday. “That containment can move from 15% to 0% in a matter of minutes with the wind.”
Firefighters are battling more than 150 other wildfires in Georgia and Florida that have sent smoky haze into places far from the flames, triggering air quality warnings for some cities.
Scientists say the Eastern U.S. is at greater risk of intense wildfires due to factors such as climate change, record drought and dead trees still littering some Southern forests following Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Local officials estimate roughly 200 Brantley County residents have been ordered to evacuate, leaving those displaced to worry about animals left behind and whether they will have homes to return to. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
The area is also facing air quality warnings due to smoke from several wildfires in both states, underscoring the broad impact of this year's fire season. Fire crews have prioritized protecting additional homes and structures by clearing dry brush and using hoses to keep properties moist.
“We’ve definitely had the local fire guys out there literally hosing stuff down,” said Seth Hawkins, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson dispatched to the Brantley County fire.
Officials are hopeful for forecasted rain, but substantial amounts are needed to fully extinguish the fires.
