Wildfires Rage Across Southeastern Georgia, Prompting State of Emergency

Sat Apr 25 2026 19:51:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Severe wildfires in southeastern Georgia continue to endanger homes and lives, as strong winds threaten to spread the flames. Authorities urge residents to evacuate and take precautions.

Two wildfires in Georgia have resulted in the destruction of multiple homes and a state of emergency. The Highway 82 Fire, ignited by a foil balloon, has become the most destructive in Georgia's history. Emergency responders face strong winds and challenging conditions as they work to manage over 150 fires across the Southeast, with related air quality warnings issued in several areas.

NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) — Two wildfires in southeastern Georgia continued to threaten homes and lives on Saturday as officials warned that strong winds could spread the flames.

Brantley County Manager Joey Cason called it a “dynamic situation” in a Saturday morning video posted to social media and urged residents to “please evacuate” if they are ordered to do so.

“This fire is going to move rapidly, once these winds get here later today,” he said.

The Highway 82 Fire has been burning since Monday and has destroyed at least 87 homes. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp stated on Friday that it is the highest number for a single wildfire in the state’s history.

The fire was started due to a foil balloon hitting live power lines, creating an electrical arc that ignited combustible material on the ground. An infrared flight was conducted to better map the fire's spread. As of Saturday, its perimeter extends over 14.8 square miles, with about 10% containment.

A second fire, located approximately 70 miles southwest in Clinch and Echols counties near the Florida state line, has burned more than 46.9 square miles and destroyed at least 35 homes. This wildfire was ignited by sparks from a welding operation and is also around 10% contained as of midday Saturday.

Firefighters have been battling more than 150 additional wildfires in Georgia and Florida that have generated smoke haze reaching distant cities, leading to air quality warnings in several areas.

An unusually high number of wildfires are raging this season across the Southeast, exacerbated by severe drought, strong winds, climate change, and residual dead trees from Hurricane Helene in 2024.

In Northern Florida, a volunteer firefighter from Nassau County, James “Kevin” Crews, tragically passed away on Thursday due to a medical emergency while battling a brush fire. Fortunately, no fire-related deaths or injuries have been reported in Georgia.