NAHUNTA, Ga. — A fast-moving wildfire in southeastern Georgia has grown to more than 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) and could prompt evacuations, officials said Sunday.
The Highway 82 Fire, burning since April 20, had destroyed at least 87 homes and was about 7% contained Sunday morning. The blaze is in Brantley County, roughly 35 miles north of the Florida line.
“The fire basically doubled last night in size,” Brantley County Manager Joey Cason said in a Facebook post. He called it “a dynamic fire event that will be impacted by the wind,” and warned residents to heed possible evacuation notices. Wind gusts around 15 mph (24.1 kph) were expected Sunday. “We had folks that did not evacuate and they almost got caught by that fire,” Cason said, adding the day could bring worsening conditions as winds pick up.
A separate fire about 70 miles (110 kilometers) to the southwest, burning in Clinch and Echols counties near the Florida border, had consumed more than 46 square miles (121 square kilometers), destroyed at least 35 homes and was roughly 10% contained as of Saturday. That blaze was blamed on sparks from a welding operation.
Investigators say the Highway 82 Fire began when a foil balloon struck live power lines, creating an electrical arc that ignited combustible ground material. More firefighting crews were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday to help battle the blaze, Cason said, noting resources are being “poured into this fire” with hopes of gaining control.
Updated counts of damaged and destroyed homes were not immediately available, said Susie Heisey, spokeswoman for the Southern Area Incident Management Team. Because the fire is still active, investigators cannot safely enter the area to assess losses. “Our firefighters worked so hard and had so much success in protecting structures and private homes, but there also were losses,” Heisey said.
Fire crews are fighting more than 150 other wildfires across Georgia and Florida, producing smoky haze that has affected air quality in communities far from the flames. Scientists say this unusually heavy spring fire season across the Southeast is driven by a mix of extreme drought, gusty winds, climate change and large amounts of dead timber left after Hurricane Helene toppled trees in 2024.
In northern Florida, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office volunteer firefighter James “Kevin” Crews died Thursday evening after suffering a medical emergency while fighting a brush fire. No fire-related deaths or injuries have been reported in Georgia.
