Fast-moving wildfires ravaging southern parts of drought-riddled Georgia prompted evacuations and burn bans as firefighters respond to a near-record number of daily blazes.
People in Clinch and Echols counties were told to flee their homes Wednesday, after a wildfire that began over the weekend grew to consume a whopping 17,000 acres and only remained 10% contained, WALB News reported.
More than 40 units of equipment and over 70 firefighters were sent to battle that blaze, which officials are calling the Pineland Road Fire. The initial cause of the flames — which consumed at least 23 trailers and 12 ATVs in the camp where it started — remains under investigation, the outlet reported.
Even with flame-jumpers working around the clock, a blaze that big creates its own wind patterns and can jump fire lanes – making it extremely difficult to contain, Scott Griffin, president and CEO of Superior Pine Products Company, reportedly said.
Pitiful drought rates – which reached 98% in the Peach State Wednesday – and high winds further fanned the flames, the outlet reported.
With wildfires also spreading in Bacon and Brantley counties, including one that’s consumed almost 4,000 acres, the state Forestry Commission banned outdoor burning for 91 counties in the lower half of Georgia.
“We need everyone to take this situation seriously,” department director Johnny Sabo wrote in a Wednesday news release about the fire prevention orders.
“GFC’s wildland firefighters are responding daily to a near-record number of wildfires. It’s critical to remember that just one spark or ember can ignite a life-threatening fire,” Sabo warned.
Steve Spradley, an information officer at the state Forestry Incident Management Team, said blazes could be sparked by mindless day-to-day activities such as parking in spots where the muffler could ignite dry grass, mowing yards or throwing cigarettes out car windows, WALB reported.
At this point, rainfall is really the only thing that could slow the at least five active wildfires in southern Georgia, Spradley told the outlet.
“We just need rain – that’s the answer to all of this … just keep praying, because that’s the only thing we can do,” WALB reporter Taylor Lewis said during a TV segment.
A smoky haze and burn smell from the wildfires even extended 250 miles north to Atlanta, where officials recommended metro area residents who are sensitive to such conditions limit their time outdoors, 11 Alive reported on Wednesday.
The City Schools of Decatur addressed the smokey conditions in a post on the district website, in which they also warned sensitive students to take precautions.
“Several schools have reported the smell of smoke in the air. The Decatur Fire Department has confirmed that the smoke is due to a wind shift from a wildfire in South Georgia,” the statement read. “Schools have been advised to take extra precautions, as students with compromised immune systems and asthma may be impacted.”
Georgia officials are reportedly asking residents to steer clear of fire zones unless travel is absolutely necessary, as extra traffic could slow emergency crews, aircraft and equipment.
Last week, a total of 99 wildfires burned almost 22,000 acres across the Peach State, 11 Alive reported, citing forestry commission stats.
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