For days, wildfires have been scorching tens of thousands of acres across Florida and Georgia, with one blaze claiming the life of a volunteer firefighter. On Thursday evening, James 'Kevin' Crews, a member of the Hilliard Volunteer Fire Department, succumbed to an unspecified medical emergency while battling a brush fire in Hilliard, a Florida town near the Georgia border. Crews, 59, received life-saving measures at the scene but later died at the hospital at 6:50 p.m., according to First Coast News.
'Kevin was the epitome of courage and dedication,' Hilliard Volunteer Fire Chief Jerry Johnson said in a statement. 'His sacrifice will never be forgotten.'
Across northern Florida and southeastern Georgia, dozens of individual fires have broken out over the past week. Experts say extremely dry weather and drought conditions have allowed the fires to flourish. In Georgia, officials report that more than 120 homes have been destroyed so far in two major blazes. No fire deaths or injuries have been reported in the state.
Major Blazes in Georgia
The Pineland Road fire in Clinch County, which first ignited last weekend, has grown to more than 31,000 acres, according to public data. It is only 10 percent contained. One mobile home community in a wooded area off Pineland Road was completely destroyed, with over 23 trailers burned to the ground, along with 12 ATVs, according to WALB-TV.
The Brantley County fire has scorched more than 9,500 acres as of Saturday. Firefighters are still trying to shrink the flames, though crews estimate it is just 10 percent contained. Michael Gibson lost his home in this fire. He lived there with his fiancée and four children, he told the Associated Press. He returned home from work on Thursday to see firefighters on his property. After getting his family to safety, he tried to return to retrieve some belongings but was stopped by police.
'We've lost everything, but I'm one of the lucky ones,' Gibson said, explaining that he and his family are staying with a relative. 'We've been prepared to leave. And I'm truly blessed to have my family and to have somewhere to sleep. ... A lot of people in my county didn't make it out with the clothes on their backs.'
Cause of Fires
Governor Brian Kemp said during a press conference on Friday that officials suspect the cause of the Brantley County fire was a foil party balloon that floated up and made contact with power lines. This, he said, caused an electrical arc that ignited the ground. Kemp said federal authorities assessed these fires as the 'two most dangerous, biggest, problematic fires anywhere' in the nation.
'We need a change in the weather, but until we get that, we're just going to stay after these fires and do everything we can to get them contained,' Kemp added.
Drought Conditions
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map, 98 percent of Georgia is facing 'exceptional,' 'extreme,' or 'severe' drought—the first, second, and third most serious levels, respectively. Nearly 93 percent of Florida is experiencing these same conditions. The largest ongoing fire in northeastern Florida is the Railroad/Crews Road fire, which has swelled to nearly 5,000 acres and is roughly 70 percent contained. The largest fire statewide this week ignited in northern Broward County, burning nearly 10,000 acres before it was fully contained.
There are well over two dozen active wildfires in Florida with varying levels of containment, according to the state's forest service. Between Georgia and Florida, more than 150 wildfires are still being fought by fire crews. These fires have produced smoke carried far from the flames, triggering air quality warnings for cities including Jacksonville, Savannah, Brunswick, Valdosta, and Waycross.
