The Highway 82 wildfire in Brantley County is now 45% contained — up from 37% as of Thursday — and rain arriving Saturday morning is expected to slow the fire through the afternoon.
What’s happening: The fire has burned 22,532 acres since it started April 20 near the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville.
The weather: Showers and thunderstorms Saturday are expected to bring half an inch to one inch of rain. Winds out of the northwest will hit 10 to 15 mph, with gusts of 20 to 25 mph. Thunderstorms could push gusts to 40 to 50 mph. The rain will slow fire activity in grassy areas, but it will not put out the fire — especially where organic soil is still burning underground.
On the ground: Crews are working across the fire area to find and put out heat that lingers after the main fire front has passed. South of Highway 82, firefighters are breaking apart dirt mounds along containment lines to reach buried heat.
A drone with infrared cameras is flying inside the fire boundary to find hot spots for crews to target, including along the State Route 110 corridor. North of Browntown Road toward Fendig Road, crews are removing timber with heavy equipment to build a 200-foot-wide cleared strip meant to stop the fire from spreading.
South of Highway 32 along Fendig Road and State Route 110, crews are working to put out burning underground soil along containment lines.
By the numbers: 626 people are working the fire, supported by 4 helicopters, 29 bulldozers, 5 tractor plows, 17 water tanker trucks, and more than 50 engines of various sizes.
Rules still in effect: A mandatory curfew runs from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. in Brantley County. A burn ban covers all of south Georgia. No drones — recreational or professional — may fly over the fire area. Road closures remain in place throughout the fire area.
Where to get help: A Red Cross shelter is open in Brunswick at 100 Genoa Martin Drive at the Selden Park Complex. A climate-controlled mobile unit is available for small pets in crates, with bedding and crates provided. Call 1-800-Red-Cross for information. Day shelters with no pet access are open at Nahunta Methodist Church and Southside Baptist Church. Large animal locations are listed on the Georgia Department of Agriculture website.
Donations of clothing, hygiene items, and empty totes can be dropped at Brantley Gas, 114 Satilla Ave, Nahunta. Nonperishable food and pet food can be dropped at H&S Haulers, 125 Industrial Park, Nahunta. Brantley County Family Connections at 10305 Main Street, Nahunta is also accepting donations.
Today: A community information event is being held at the Atkinson Elementary School gym from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The path forward: Brantley County remains in an exceptional drought — the most severe level recognized by forecasters — and the entire state of Georgia is in drought. Today’s rain may slow the fire temporarily, but the conditions that have driven it for nearly two weeks are not going away.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
