Overview
- - The 30-day outdoor burn ban, which took effect Wednesday, covers 91 counties and marks the Georgia Forestry Commission’s first mandatory ban on burning.
- - Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for South and Central Georgia to mobilize resources as crews confront fast-moving fires and ongoing drought.
- - In Brantley County, the wildfire swelled to roughly 4,000 to 5,000 acres with about 10% containment, destroyed at least 47 homes, forced evacuations and sheltering, closed stretches of U.S. 82 and other roads, and shut schools for the day.
- - The Pineland Road fire in Clinch County reached about 8,900 acres with around 10% containment, with evacuations reported as the blaze pushed toward Echols County.
- - Smoke from South Georgia’s fires spread into metro Atlanta and coastal areas, cutting visibility and degrading air quality, while separate fires in northeast Florida drew multi-agency responses and evacuation warnings.