Eight new wildfires broke out across Georgia on Thursday, burning a combined 54.64 acres — and that’s on top of two massive fires that have been burning for days and are still only partially under control.
What’s Happening: The Pineland Road Fire has scorched 32,573 acres and is 39% contained. The Highway 82 Fire has burned through 22,532 acres and is 37% contained. Both fires are still active. The 54.64 acres that burned Thursday come from the eight new fires and do not include either of those two.
By the Numbers: The two large fires have burned a combined total of more than 55,000 acres. Both acreage figures were slightly reduced after crews completed more precise mapping of the burn areas.
Conditions: Dry weather is continuing across much of the state, and wildfire risk remains high statewide.
Safety: The Georgia Forestry Commission is asking the public to follow these guidelines:
- Stay away from active fire areas so crews can do their jobs safely.
- Do not fly drones. Firefighting aircraft need clear airspace.
- Be careful driving in areas with heavy smoke.
- Watch for updates from local officials about road closures or changing safety conditions.
The Path Forward: Containment is slowly improving on both large fires, but neither is close to being fully controlled. With dry conditions expected to continue, the risk of additional fires breaking out across Georgia remains high.
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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.
