BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. – Several counties in Georgia are under a state of emergency as wildfires continue to spread.
Seth Hawkins of the Georgia Forestry Service joined News4JAX via Zoom to provide an update on the situation in Brantley County.
Hawkins said crews are working around the clock to bring in additional resources.
“We’re definitely ramping up resources — by the hour, it feels like,” Hawkins said. “I’m here at the Brantley County Airport. This is our incident command, and it’s just chock full of fire trucks and engines and camp support staff and all that.”
Officials caught a break overnight as favorable weather conditions helped slow the fire’s progress.
“We got really lucky last night with some high humidity. The wind died down last night. The fire just kind of settled down a little bit over the night,” Hawkins said.
Despite the overnight relief, dry conditions remain the biggest challenge, with spot fires breaking out across the area.
For residents living near the fire, Hawkins urged them to stay informed and be ready to move quickly.
“Make sure you’re keeping your tank full of gas. Make sure your pets are close by. Maybe have a little backpack ready. Make sure your phone’s charged and the volume’s on so you get those text alerts,” he said. “Brantley County Sheriff Facebook page is where you’ll find the latest and greatest for emergency notifications.”
Firefighting resources have poured in from across the state, including from the Atlanta area.
Hawkins said that even firefighters personally impacted by the blazes are staying on the line.
“It really just shows firefighter spirit. They’ll keep fighting this fire to protect their community, even if they’re being personally impacted by it,” he said.