2 massive Georgia wildfires destroy more than 120 homes, scorch over 40,000 acres
Two massive wildfires in south Georgia have scorched more than 40,000 acres and destroyed over 120 homes.
Extreme drought has turned the region into a tinderbox and allowed flames to spread. Overnight, new fires sparked in rural south Georgia. High winds have made efforts to contain the fires difficult, officials said in a news conference Saturday afternoon.
Brantley County Manager Joey Cason called the wildfires a "dynamic situation" in a Saturday morning video posted to social media and begged residents to "please evacuate" if they are ordered to do so. New evacuation orders were issued as the fire spread.
"Leave the scene. This fire is moving at a fast pace and we do not have much control over where it's currently moving. Please leave," Cason said Saturday afternoon at a news conference, addressing Georgia residents facing evacuation orders.
One woman — who saw flames coming and fled with four kids and 10 dogs to Florida — said she watched her family's home burn on her phone, through Ring cameras.
"When both of my devices were offline, and it was black and I couldn't see no more, it was so gut-wrenching because then I knew, like, they got ... what I call home," Anna Dudek told CBS News' Mark Strassmann.
Another resident, Jesse Morgan, lost his automotive business, which he started in 1996. He told CBS News his insurance denied his claim, since "acts of God" aren't covered.
"I definitely could use some help," he said. "But I'm, you know, I guess my pride is too much. I'm not gonna get out there and ask for it."
The Brantley Highway 82 Fire has been burning since Monday and has destroyed at least 87 homes, The Associated Press reported. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday that it is the most destructive wildfire in the state's history.
Meanwhile, a second fire about 70 miles to the southwest in Clinch and Echols counties, near the Florida state line, has destroyed at least 35 homes, according to the AP. Started by sparks from a welding operation, the Pineland Road Fire was also about 10% contained as of midday Saturday.
Kemp said at a press conference that federal authorities determined the Brantley Highway 82 fire and the Pineland Road Fire were currently the "two most dangerous, biggest, problematic fires anywhere" in the country.
He said officials believe the Brantley Highway 82 fire started when a party balloon landed on a power line and caused a spark.
"We need a change in the weather, but until we get that, we're just going to stay after these fires and do everything we can to get them contained," Kemp said.
Kemp also toured the damage on Friday and met with first responders trying to contain the flames. Authorities said Saturday that the Brantley County fire had grown to cover more than 9,500 acres, while the Pineland Road fire had expanded to nearly 32,000 acres as of Saturday.
Firefighters have been battling more than 150 other wildfires in Georgia and Florida that have sent smoky haze into places far from the flames, triggering air quality warnings for some cities.
Fire activity was expected to remain extremely high over the weekend.