A wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia has destroyed nearly 90 homes and forced the evacuation of roughly 200 residents, according to multiple reports. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
The Brantley County fire has burned more than 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) and was 15% contained as of Friday, according to major media reports. The fire grew roughly six times in size over a half day, officials said. Firefighters are battling more than 150 other wildfires across Georgia and Florida, with Georgia's biggest fire near the Florida state line having burned about 50 square miles (129 square kilometers).
Local officials estimate roughly 200 Brantley County residents have been ordered to evacuate, though The Guardian reported at least 800 evacuations, a discrepancy that may reflect differences in counting people versus households. Five shelters have opened in Brantley County, and the fire threatens 300 more homes, according to major media reports. 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, urging residents in affected areas to follow local officials' guidance.
More than 61% of the lower 48 states are in moderate to exceptional drought, and 97% of the south-east US is in drought, according to major media reports. Florida is in exceptional or extreme drought. The drought and fire risk are set to last until the arrival of the rainy season, usually around June, according to major media reports. The Georgia Forestry Commission issued its first mandatory burn ban in the state's history, effective across 91 counties.
My office and I are working closely with the Georgia Forestry Commission to respond to the increasing threat of wildfires in South Georgia. If you are in a directly affected area, please adhere to guidance from your local officials to keep you and your family safe.
Historical data shows that the number of large fires, likelihood of them happening, and amount of land burned has increased in most of the Southeast US from 1984 to 2020, according to major media reports. Fire scientist Mike Flannigan described the trend, saying that warmer conditions lead to more fire, with longer fire seasons, more lightning, and drier fuels, and that more fire is expected in the East, including more intense fires. Victoria Donovan, a fire ecologist at the University of Florida, noted that fires in the East are historically smaller than those in the West but that a shift in dynamics is now being quantified. She said that 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 such fires. Forests in the East are denser and less likely to be thinned out than those in the West, according to major media reports.
Nationally, so far this year 2,802 square miles (7,258 square kilometers) of the US has burned in wildfires, 88% more than the 10-year average, according to major media reports. Much of the burned area this year is in Nebraska, an unusual area for massive wildfires. The National Interagency Fire Center has noted the unusual pattern.
Areas where the two big wildfires are burning in Georgia have a 20% to 40% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms over the weekend, according to major media reports. However, the drought and fire risk are expected to persist until the rainy season arrives around June. Brantley County Manager Joey Cason said on social media that if residents receive a mandatory evacuation notice, they need to evacuate as quickly as possible, as containment can drop from 15% to 0% in minutes with the wind.
In Florida, a fire in Broward County scorched more than 9,200 acres as of Thursday afternoon, according to major media reports. The National Guard helped Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue tackle that fire. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said in a press conference that Florida is experiencing one of its worst fire seasons in perhaps 30 or 40 years, with drought conditions across the state for 18 months. At least four other smaller fires have been reported in Georgia, according to major media reports.
The exact number of homes destroyed in the Brantley County fire remains unclear, as earlier reports cited 47 or more than 50 homes destroyed, figures that have since been updated to nearly 90 as the fire grew. The total number of people evacuated across all affected areas is also unknown, as is the current containment status of the largest fires in Georgia and Florida. Significant rainfall is not expected until the rainy season begins around June, according to major media reports. The total acreage burned across all active wildfires in the region has not been confirmed.