BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. – Brantley County Schools will be closed Wednesday for all students and staff as a wildfire continues to impact the community, district officials announced Tuesday afternoon.
The district says the decision was made to ensure the safety of students, families and employees, and to give families time to respond to the fire’s impact. Some community members have lost their homes.
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“We know that many in our community have been directly affected, including some who have experienced the loss of their homes,” the district said in a statement. “Our hearts are with all those impacted.”
Officials said they will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on next steps as information becomes available.
Mandatory Evacuations
The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office says mandatory evacuations have been issued for the following neighborhoods:
- Happy Hollow
- Drury Lane
- Drury Court
- Coffee Co. Club Road
- Warners Landing
- Oak Woodlands
- Atkinson Road
- Godberry Lane
- Brushing Creek
- Fort Mcintosh to Highway 520 on both sides of the road
- Browntown Rd and Hawks Landing neighborhood
Shelters open for displaced residents
As of 4:30 p.m. April 21, the following shelters are open and available to Brantley County residents:
- Brantley County Library
- Methodist Church — Nahunta
- Little Memorial — Brown Town & Highway 32
- Hortense Church of God of Prophecy — Highway 32 East, Hortense
A relief station offering water and restrooms is also available at Nahunta First Baptist Church.
Residents are encouraged to head to the nearest shelter if they need to evacuate. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911.
For a full list of current shelters and updates, residents can visit the Brantley County Government Facebook page.
Schools Evacuated
The wildfire prompted students from two schools Tuesday as a precautionary measure.
Students from Waynesville Primary and Atkinson Elementary were relocated to the Brantley County Middle School gym in Nahunta, where they were supervised by school staff.
Brantley County Schools issued a statement to parents Tuesday morning addressing the situation.
“All students are safe and are being relocated to the BCMS gym, where they are supervised by school staff,” the statement said.
Parents who wished to pick up their children were directed to the Brantley County Middle School gym and asked to bring a photo ID for student release. The district also outlined its transportation plan, noting that normal bus routes would resume if road conditions allowed.
“If road conditions are safe later today, we will proceed with normal bus transportation at dismissal time,” the district said.
Road Closures
The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office and Glynn County Sheriff’s Office have closed the road at Highway 520/82 and Browntown Road.
More closures have been listed as:
Highway 82 from Nahunta to Post Road
Highway 110 West – at Highway 32 down to the Camden County line
Highway 259 – from Highway 82 to the Camden County line
Highway 32 – from Highway 110 to Post Road.
These closures are in place for public safety and to allow emergency crews to operate effectively. Avoid these areas completely. Expect detours and significant travel delays. Heavy smoke may reduce visibility in and around these routes. Emergency vehicles and equipment are actively operating in these areas.
More than 1,500 acres burned
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Brantley County Highway 82 Fire was 1,500 acres and 0% contained.
Fire officials are also urging people who see flames in new areas or outside the visible fire lines to call 911, with smoky conditions expected over the next few days.
You can find a map showing the active wildfires here.