A historic wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia, has destroyed at least 87 homes, the most for a single wildfire in state history, Governor Brian Kemp said. The fire, ignited by a foil balloon hitting power lines, has burned over 14.8 square miles and was 10% contained as of Saturday, with at least 800 evacuations ordered. The fire grew roughly six times in size over a half day, according to county manager Joey Cason, and at least 300 more homes remain threatened.
A second major wildfire in Clinch and Echols counties has destroyed at least 35 homes, according to multiple reports. That fire, sparked by welding operation sparks, has burned over 46.9 square miles and was also 10% contained as of Saturday. In northern Florida, a volunteer firefighter, James 'Kevin' Crews, died while battling a brush fire, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office confirmed. No fire-related deaths or injuries have been reported in Georgia, according to multiple sources.
The causes of the two Georgia fires have been identified by Governor Kemp. The Brantley County fire was ignited by a foil balloon that hit live power lines, while the Clinch/Echols fire was started by sparks from a welding operation.
The warmer we get, the more fire we see. Longer fire seasons, more lightning possibly, and drier fuels. I think we're going to see more fire in the East. We're seeing more intense fires.
In response to the escalating threat, the Georgia Forestry Commission issued its first mandatory burn ban in state history, covering 91 counties, the commission announced. More than 61% of the lower 48 US states are in moderate to exceptional drought, the highest level for this time of year since 2000, according to the US Drought Monitor. Florida is experiencing exceptional or extreme drought, and firefighters are battling 131 wildfires that have burned 34 square miles, the US Drought Monitor and Florida commissioner of agriculture reported.
Fire scientists say the Eastern US is at greater risk of intense wildfires due to climate change, record drought, and dead trees from Hurricane Helene. 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. University of Florida fire ecologist Victoria Donovan noted that 45% of all large wildfires in the East burn some portion of the wildland-urban interface. 'The warmer we get, the more fire we see. Longer fire seasons, more lightning possibly, and drier fuels. I think we're going to see more fire in the East. We're seeing more intense fires,' said fire scientist Mike Flannigan. Donovan added, '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.'
A separate fire in Broward County, Florida, scorched over 9,200 acres and was 50% contained as of Thursday, according to reports. The exact number of homes destroyed in the Brantley County fire remains uncertain as assessments continue. The current containment status of the major fires may change with weather conditions. The cause of the medical emergency that led to the firefighter's death has not been disclosed. Significant rainfall is not expected in the near term to help control the fires.