Nearly 90 homes engulfed as Georgia wildfires continue to rage, forcing evacuations
Extreme drought conditions continue to fuel wildfires across Georgia, where two of the largest fires have destroyed homes and burnt thousands of acres.
The Pineland Road and Brantley County fires in southeast Georgia have both grown substantially as dry winds continue to challenge firefighters, with little rain relief on the horizon.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency across 91 counties due to ongoing wildfires in the southern portion of the state, with a burn ban in effect for 30 days, unless otherwise renewed.
As of Thursday, the Brantley County Fire had burned more than 5,000 acres in southeastern Georgia and was 15% contained, destroying over 90 homes.
The sheriff's office said 1,000 more homes are currently threatened by the wildfire.
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Officials believed the raging fire was under control Thursday morning until a massive plume erupted, as seen in footage captured by FOX Weather Field Correspondent Robert Ray.
"This fire has been escalated, just in the past three hours," Ray said around 5 p.m. Thursday.
Evacuations are underway in Brantley County along Browntown Road from Highway 82 to Greenleaf on the west side of the highway.
"Additional resources continue to arrive hourly, and more personnel are currently on scene than at any point since the incident began," the Brantley County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday morning.
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray is reporting on the devastation caused by the Brantley County Fire in Nahunta, Georgia.
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Video showed the destruction of charred cars and burnt down buildings.
The Pineland Road Fire burned 29,606 acres and was 10% contained as of Wednesday, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Though the devastating wildfires have engulfed structures and triggered evacuations, no injuries or deaths have been reported, officials said.
Gusty winds and low humidity have helped ignite areas across the drought-ridden Peach State, with 98.1% of Georgia’s land area under moderate to exceptional drought conditions.
Air Quality Alerts have been issued for portions of Georgia, including Atlanta and South Carolina on Thursday due to smoke.
With little to no rain expected over the next 10 days in Georgia, drought conditions are likely to persist—keeping the threat of dangerous fire weather firmly in place.
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