NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) — The destructive wildfires tearing through Georgia this week are being fed by not only a persistent drought, but also by fallen trees and limbs scattered across the South by Hurricane Helene well over a year ago.
Blustery winds also are helping ignite and expand the fires in Georgia and Florida that have blanketed parts of several states in smoke, leading to air quality warnings Thursday in cities far from the blazes.
The weather forecast Thursday appeared to warn of another high-risk day, with shifting winds that could send embers flying in all directions a major concern.
Hundreds of residents have been forced from their homes near Georgia's coast, where a wildfire destroyed more than 50 homes and threatened many more. Georgia's biggest fire near the Florida state line doubled in size in less than a day and by Thursday had burned through a sparsely populated area that's twice the size of Manhattan.
Images from the devastated areas show the shells of charred cars and trucks sitting next to the smoldering ruins of homes nestled among blackened trees.
Many who were forced to flee this week were left distraught about the homes and animals they left behind.
“I don’t know if I have a house standing or not,” said Denise Stephens, who evacuated her home near Hortense because of the fast-moving Brantley County fire. “I know what it’s taken from other people, but I don’t know what I have left standing.”
Wood debris littering the state’s southern half since Hurricane Helene churned through in September 2024 has enabled Georgia's two biggest fires to spread and intensify quickly, officials said.
“There’s a ton of old Hurricane Helene debris down in the woods,” said Seth Hawkins, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson. “It’s lying around and it’s just a tinderbox out there.”
The forestry commission estimated that Helene swept across nearly 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers) of forestland statewide, striking areas where trees are grown for paper and lumber.
Source: WPLG
