The Pineland Road Fire burning across Clinch and Echols counties in South Georgia has grown to 32,573 acres and reached 38% containment as of Wednesday — a big jump from 23% earlier in the week, but firefighters say the fire is still dangerous and hard to control.
What’s Happening: The fire is still actively spreading. Crews are dealing with wind-driven runs, where gusts push the fire forward fast, spotting, where embers land ahead of the main fire and start new blazes, and flanking, where fire spreads along the sides of the burn area rather than just the front.
The Conditions: Humidity in the area is in the mid-30% range, which is extremely dry. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a measure of how dry the soil and vegetation are, is approaching 700, a level that signals extreme fire danger. The area is also in an exceptional drought, the most severe category forecasters recognize. Those factors together make the fire harder to stop and put firefighters at greater risk when they work close to the fire line.
By the Numbers:
- 32,573 acres burned
- 38% contained as of April 29
- 272 firefighters and 69 pieces of equipment assigned
Still in Effect: A burn ban covers all counties in South Georgia. A mandatory evacuation order remains in place for areas around the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County, bounded by Highway 32 to the north, Highway 82 to the south, Highway 110 to the west, and Post Road to the east. A nightly curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. is still in effect across Brantley County. Two road segments in Brantley County remain closed: Highway 110 from Highway 82 to Highway 32, and Highway 32 from Highway 301 to Highway 99.
Where to Get Help: A Red Cross shelter is open in Brunswick at 100 Genoa Martin Drive at the Selden Park Complex. Small pets in crates are welcome. Day shelters with no pet access are open at Nahunta Methodist Church and Southside Baptist Church.
The Path Forward: Going from 23% to 38% containment is the largest single gain on the Pineland Road Fire since it started, but the fire is still less than halfway contained and conditions have not improved. Every county in Georgia is under drought conditions, and no significant rain is in the forecast.
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.
