The fire was started by a foil balloon that hit power lines.
NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) – Two wildfires in southeast Georgia continued to threaten homes and lives Saturday as officials warned strong winds could spread the flames.
Brantley County Manager Joey Cason called it a “dynamic situation” in a video posted on social media and pleaded with residents to “please evacuate” if ordered to do so.
“This fire is going to move quickly once these winds get here later today,” he said.
The Highway 82 fire has been burning since Monday and has destroyed at least 87 homes. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday it’s the largest single wildfire in the state’s history.
The fire was started by a foil balloon that hit power lines. This created an electric arc that ignited the combustible material on the ground.
An infrared heat-detecting flight was conducted overnight Friday, helping officials better map the fire. A joint statement issued by multiple government agencies said the fire’s perimeter was more than 14.8 square miles (38 square kilometers) and was only about 10% contained.
Meanwhile, a second fire about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest in Clinch and Echols counties, near the Florida state line, has burned more than 46.9 square miles (121 square kilometers) and destroyed at least 35 homes. Started by sparks from a welding operation, that fire was also contained about 10%.
Firefighters have battled more than 150 other wildfires in Georgia and Florida that have sent smoke far from the flames, prompting air quality warnings in some cities.
An unusually large number of wildfires are burning this spring across the Southeast. Scientists say the fire threat has been amplified by a combination of extreme drought, high winds, climate change and dead trees still lying in some forests after being toppled by Hurricane Helene in 2024.
In northern Florida, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office volunteer firefighter James “Kevin” Crews died Thursday evening after suffering an unspecified medical emergency while fighting a brush fire. No deaths or injuries have been reported in Georgia from the fire.
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