One of two large wildfires in southeastern Georgia continues to grow and now exceeds 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), officials reported on Sunday.
Highway 82 Fire Expands Rapidly
The Highway 82 Fire has been burning since April 20 and, as of Saturday, had destroyed at least 87 homes. By Sunday morning, containment stood at only 7%. The fire is located in Brantley County, approximately 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) north of the Florida state line.
“The fire basically doubled last night in size,” Brantley County Manager Joey Cason said in a Facebook post. “It is a dynamic fire event that will be impacted by the wind.” Wind gusts of about 15 mph (24.1 kph) were expected on Sunday. Cason warned that evacuation notices could be issued and urged residents to comply. “We had folks that did not evacuate and they almost got caught by that fire,” he added. “It's going to be another potential bad fire day as the winds pick up later in the day.”
Second Blaze in Clinch and Echols Counties
A second fire, located about 70 miles (110 kilometers) to the southwest in Clinch and Echols counties near the Florida border, has burned more than 46 square miles (121 square kilometers) and destroyed at least 35 homes. As of Saturday, it was only 10% contained. That fire was sparked by welding operations.
The Highway 82 Fire was ignited when a foil balloon hit live power lines, creating an electrical arc that set combustible material on the ground ablaze. Additional crews were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday to assist. “There’s a ton of assets that are being poured into this fire to, hopefully, get it under control or get it out,” Cason said. “This whole situation is heartbreaking.”
Damage Assessment Delayed
Updated figures on homes damaged or destroyed were not immediately available Sunday afternoon, according to Susie Heisey, spokeswoman 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 said. Due to the ongoing fire, investigators cannot yet assess damages.
Regional Wildfire Crisis
Firefighters are battling more than 150 other wildfires across Georgia and Florida, sending smoky haze far from the flames and triggering air quality warnings for some cities. An unusually large number of wildfires are burning this spring across the Southeast. Scientists attribute the heightened threat to extreme drought, gusty winds, climate change, and dead trees left by Hurricane Helene in 2024.
In northern Florida, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office volunteer firefighter James “Kevin” Crews died Thursday evening after a medical emergency while suppressing a brush fire. No fire-related deaths or injuries have been reported in Georgia.
