A wildfire in Georgia destroyed more than 50 homes, according to multiple reports. The Brantley County fire in southeast Georgia destroyed 47 homes as of the previous day and threatened more, major media reported. The fire grew roughly six times in size over half a day, prompting at least 800 evacuations in Brantley County, where five shelters have opened. The blaze threatens 300 more homes, officials said.
Georgia's two biggest wildfires together have burned more than 31 square miles, major media reported. At least four other smaller fires have been reported in Georgia. In Florida, firefighters are battling 131 wildfires that have burned 34 square miles, mostly in the northern half of the state. A fire broke out early on Tuesday morning in Broward County, Florida, scorching more than 9,200 acres as of Thursday afternoon. The Broward County fire was 50% contained as of Thursday afternoon, and the National Guard helped Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue tackle the blaze.
Drought in the contiguous US has reached record levels for this time of year, with more than 61% of the lower 48 states in moderate to exceptional drought, according to major media. 97% of the southeast US is in drought, and Florida is in exceptional or extreme drought. The drought conditions have been exacerbated by a long drought, low humidity, and strong winds, major media reported.
The fires in the East historically and today are a lot smaller than in the Western United States, so they might not always grab as much attention as those out West. But we’re starting to see now this shift in dynamics in the East, we’re starting to quantify it. Even though the changes that we're seeing in the East are much smaller than we're quantifying out West, we think it's extremely important to start to get ahead of this problem now.
So far this year, 2,802 square miles of the US has burned in wildfires, 88% more than the 10-year average for this time of year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Much of the burned area is in Nebraska, an unusual area for massive wildfires. Significant chunks of the US set records for the warmest winter and March and April drought.
The number of large fires, likelihood of them happening, and amount of land burned increased in most of the Southeast US from 1984 to 2020, according to a 2023 study by University of Florida fire ecologists Victoria Donovan and Carissa Wonkka. According to The Independent - Main, Victoria Donovan noted a shift in dynamics in the East, and even though the changes are much smaller than those out West, it is extremely important to start to get ahead of this problem now.
45% of all large wildfires in the East burn some portion of the wildland-urban interface, and 55% of the area burned is associated with WUI fires, according to Victoria Donovan. Forests in the East are denser and less likely to be thinned out than those in the West, she added.
We found that 45% of all large wildfires in the East burn some portion of the wildland-urban interface and 55% of the area burned so that a lot of these large wildfires are associated with WUI fires.
A week ago, federal and state officials issued an advisory to watch out for fires due to drought, weather, and dead trees from Hurricane Helene, according to Nick Nauslar. Firefighting equipment was being staged across Florida so resources are closer to the fires, Wilton Simpson said in a press conference. Nearly two dozen fire agencies were called to help fight the Brantley County fire, according to Joey Cason. The Georgia Forestry Commission issued its first mandatory burn ban in state history across 91 counties in the lower half of the state, major media reported.
Smoke from the fires drifted to Atlanta, Savannah, and Jacksonville, major media reported. Air quality in parts of south Georgia declined to the unhealthy category. Smoky conditions were expected to linger in the Atlanta area throughout the day, according to the Atlanta-Fulton county emergency management agency. The worst blazes burned more than 200 miles from Atlanta, and some of the biggest blazes are along Georgia's coast and around Jacksonville, Florida.
Abnormally dry weather is set to continue over the next few weeks before the rainy season, usually around June, major media reported. The drought and fire risk are set to last. Governor Brian Kemp said on social media that his office is working closely with the Georgia Forestry Commission to respond to the increasing threat of wildfires in South Georgia, and urged those in affected areas to adhere to guidance from local officials. Wilton Simpson said in a press conference that Florida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years, and the state has been in drought for 18 months all across the state.
The exact number of homes destroyed in the Georgia wildfires remains unclear, as does the total acreage burned across all active fires in the Southeast. The containment status of the Brantley County fire has not been reported, and there have been no confirmed reports of injuries or fatalities from the wildfires. The rainy season is expected around June, but whether it will be sufficient to alleviate drought conditions is uncertain.