Rain is expected to fall Thursday over the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County, but the 22,600-acre blaze will not be put out by rain alone, fire officials say.
What’s Happening: The fire has been burning since April 20 and is 33% contained. Rain is forecast to reach the fire area today.
What’s Important: Even after it rains, heat can survive deep underground — inside stumps, roots, logs, and thick layers of organic soil. Rain can also temporarily cut down on visible smoke, making the fire look like it’s out when it isn’t.
What firefighters are watching: Rain creates specific problems for crews on the ground:
- Infrared aircraft and drones used to find hidden hot spots have a harder time detecting heat through rain.
- Wet, muddy roads and containment lines become slippery and dangerous for crews.
- Less visible smoke can give the public a false sense that the fire is fully out.
What’s still true after rain: Fire can keep burning underground even when there’s no smoke in the air. Crews will monitor conditions before, during, and after the rain to find and deal with any heat that remains.
How this affects real people: A mandatory evacuation order and a nightly curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. remain in effect in Brantley County. Those have not changed.
The path forward: Brantley County is in an exceptional drought — the most severe category recognized by forecasters — and the entire state of Georgia remains in drought. One rain event is unlikely to change those conditions, meaning crews will need to keep working the fire even after today’s rainfall.
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.
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.