GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. – The Red Cross, neighbors and church and community volunteers have rallied at shelters and relief centers to support hundreds of residents displaced by the Highway 82 wildfire that has prompted expanded evacuations in Brantley and Glynn counties.
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The wildfire has more than doubled in size in less than 48 hours, burning 22,614 acres.
Containment on the blaze stood at 6%, down from 15% earlier, and authorities said at least 90 homes or businesses and about 55 small structures have been destroyed. Hundreds of residents in Georgia have been displaced, and Brantley County schools will remain closed Tuesday, officials said.
Weekend rain offered some relief to firefighters but did little to halt the fire’s rapid growth, officials said.
A Red Cross shelter at Selden Park in Brunswick served as a hub for evacuees and relief operations. Mike Bowie, a Red Cross organizer, said 22 people stayed there overnight.
“This community has been fantastic about, providing, almost everything that we need. Snacks, crackers, that, toiletries and things like that. We just found a lady needed a heating pad. We found a heating pad within the stuff that they had provided. So, it’s been really good. the, company that came out here and was putting gas in people’s tanks,” Bowie said.
Velocifuel, the company that provided the fuel, is from Valdosta, Georgia, but was actually born out of a natural disaster of its own during Hurricane Helene. Co-owners Kindall McDermid and Josh Van said it was important to do what they could to give back.
“We decided we weren’t satisfied, like we weren’t satisfied sitting around here. So, we decided that we would go to the different shelters, starting in Eccles County, Clinch County, and we would donate fuel to those who had been displaced because we can’t do much. We can’t, you know, feed the world. We can’t give everybody a new home, but we can make them worry a little bit less about gas,” McDermid said.
Church groups from Nahunta, including members helping at Southside Baptist Church, have been coordinating rides, making phone calls and providing food and supplies.
“We just wanted to double-check on the families that have already come through our church and help connect them,” a church member said.
Volunteers hope to help people return home as soon as it is safe. Another volunteer said the community has come together across religious and political lines and that local groups are prepared for a prolonged response.
Officials urged residents in affected areas to follow evacuation orders and to check for updates from local emergency management as crews continue suppression and assessment efforts.