Officials battling two large wildfires in southern Georgia warned Tuesday that firefighters are bracing for a prolonged battle even after weekend rains gave a significant boost to containment efforts. The fires have destroyed dozens of homes and scorched vast areas of land.
Governor Issues Caution
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told a news conference after touring the fire areas Tuesday, “A little bit of rain is going to help us, but it’s not going to get us out of this situation. We’re going to be in this for a while.”
Containment Progress in Brantley County
A fire that has burned roughly 35 square miles (90 square kilometers) and destroyed more than 80 homes in rural Brantley County was 32% contained, the command team overseeing the fire response said Tuesday. That is up from just 6% containment reported Monday.
Rains on Sunday slowed the fire enough to give crews an opening to widen containment lines along the perimeter and snuff out some smoldering pockets, said Johnny Sabo, director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. “As that number increases, our confidence at holding it in that footprint increases,” Sabo told reporters. He added: “We have a long way to go. I just want to stress that.”
Larger Wildfire in Southern Counties
A larger wildfire in sparsely populated Clinch and Echols counties has charred more than 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) at the Georgia-Florida line. Sabo said crews have held that fire to roughly the same footprint for four days. It was considered 23% contained Tuesday. One home and several dozen sheds and other smaller structures were destroyed, said Don Thomas, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson.
Unusually Active Fire Season
An unusually large number of wildfires are burning this spring across the Southeast. Scientists say the threat of fire has been amplified by a combination of extreme drought, gusty winds, climate change, and dead trees and other vegetation.
No fire injuries or deaths have been reported in Georgia. A volunteer firefighter in Nassau County, Florida, died last week after suffering an unspecified medical emergency while suppressing a brush fire.
Evacuations and Return
Progress made against the Brantley County blaze prompted local officials to lift evacuation orders Monday for roughly 1,500 people who had fled their homes. About 2,500 remained displaced, said Susan Heisey, a spokesperson for the fire command team. Local officials have warned people returning home to be prepared to evacuate again if necessary.
Causes and Forecast
Both Georgia fires ignited as the state’s worst drought in two decades rendered vast pine forests and swampy lowlands tinder dry and highly combustible. Investigators concluded the Brantley County fire began April 20 when a foil balloon touched a power line, creating an electrical arc that set the ground ablaze. The fire in Clinch and Echols counties started April 18 by a falling spark as a man was welding a gate, according to state officials.
Forecasts showed a high chance of more rain over the fires this weekend. There is also a possibility of thunderstorms, which can produce lightning that causes new fires.
Officials haven’t said how long the Georgia fires might burn, only that it will take significant rainfall to extinguish them. Sabo noted that a vast fire sparked by lightning in the nearby Okefenokee Swamp in 2011 burned for just shy of a year.
