NAHUNTA, Ga. — A massive wildfire burning in southeastern Georgia has expanded beyond 31 square miles, becoming one of two major blazes threatening the region, authorities announced Sunday.
The blaze, known as the Highway 82 Fire, ignited on April 20 and has leveled no fewer than 87 residences as of Saturday. Sunday morning reports indicated firefighters have achieved only 7% containment of the flames.
The fire is located in Brantley County along Highway 82, positioned approximately 35 miles north of the Georgia-Florida border.
“The fire basically doubled last night in size,” Brantley County Manager Joey Cason stated Sunday via Facebook. “It is a dynamic fire event that will be impacted by the wind.”
Meteorologists predicted wind gusts reaching 15 mph throughout Sunday.
Cason warned that evacuation orders might be issued Sunday, urging citizens to comply immediately if alerts are sent.
“We had folks that did not evacuate and they almost got caught by that fire,” he stated. “It’s going to be another potential bad fire day as the winds pick up later in the day.”
A separate wildfire burning roughly 70 miles southwest in Clinch and Echols counties, close to Florida’s border, has consumed more than 46 square miles, demolished at least 35 homes, and reached only 10% containment by Saturday. Sparks from welding work triggered that fire.
The Highway 82 blaze began when a metallic balloon contacted energized power lines, creating an electrical discharge that set ground materials ablaze.
Additional firefighting crews are scheduled to arrive Sunday and Monday to assist in suppression efforts, Cason reported.
“There’s a ton of assets that are being poured into this fire to, hopefully, get it under control or get it out,” he explained. “This whole situation is heartbreaking.”
Updated tallies of damaged or destroyed properties were unavailable Sunday afternoon, according to Susie Heisey, spokesperson for the Southern Area Incident Management Team.
“Our firefighters worked so hard and had so much success in protecting structures and private homes, but there also were losses,” Heisey commented.
The active fire prevents investigators from entering affected areas to evaluate damage, she noted.
Fire crews are simultaneously combating more than 150 additional wildfires across Georgia and Florida, creating smoky conditions that have reached distant communities and prompted air quality advisories in several cities.
An extraordinary number of wildfires are burning throughout the Southeast this spring. Researchers attribute the heightened fire risk to severe drought conditions, strong winds, climate change effects, and fallen timber remaining from Hurricane Helene’s 2024 destruction.
In northern Florida, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office volunteer firefighter James “Kevin” Crews passed away Thursday evening following a medical emergency while fighting a brush fire. Georgia has reported no fire-related fatalities or injuries.
