BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. – As crews continue battling the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County, some residents along Brushy Creek Road are returning to homes that survived — while nearby neighbors are coming back to total loss.
The Highway 82 Fire began April 20 and is burning in Brantley County, impacting the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville. As of Wednesday morning, the fire had burned 22,600 acres and was 32% contained, according to fire officials.
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Fire managers say the entire state is in drought, with Brantley County in “exceptional drought,” and that hot, dry weather has helped keep the fire active and unpredictable.
For Danielle Surprenant, that unpredictability is hard to forget.
“We truly thought that everything was gone,” Surprenant said.
Surprenant said she was at work when a friend called with a warning that the fire had jumped Highway 82. Within minutes, she said, flames were tearing through the woods behind homes on her road.
“It happened so fast we had no notice,” Surprenant said. “I probably had maybe 10 minutes total before the neighbor’s yard was completely engulfed.”
When she returned days later, she said she found her home still standing — a relief that quickly turned into heartbreak as she drove past properties where neighbors lost everything.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s devastation,” Surprenant said. “You go into certain areas and it looks like a warzone. It looks like the apocalypse. It’s just devastation.”
Even after returning home, she said the anxiety hasn’t gone away.
“We’re not sleeping because everything behind us is still smoldering. Everything behind us is still at risk,” Surprenant said.
Raymond Willis, who has lived in the area since 1994, said he watched the smoke build and then got the message to get out.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. This has been bad,” Willis said.
His home survived, Willis said, but a side building and equipment did not.
“Nothing’s left. It’s just melted stuff. That was a hot fire,” Willis said.
He said coming back to the neighborhood brought both gratitude and grief — especially when he saw the damage next door.
Willis said the loss still feels unreal.
“Just a lot of sadness, heartbrokenness,” he said. “Two weeks ago, I’d have never dreamed this would have happened. Life can take some short turns and it took a sharp turn for us here.”
Officials say conditions are still challenging for firefighters. In their Wednesday morning update, fire managers said dry air and gusty winds could increase fire behavior, and that “hidden pockets of heat” can lead to renewed smoldering and flare-ups. They also warned that falling needles and leaves from fire-affected trees could increase the potential for reburn when they hit the ground near lingering heat.
Fire officials said crews are continuing structure protection work, extinguishing hot spots and reinforcing containment lines. As of Wednesday, the response included 470 personnel, multiple helicopter resources, engines and heavy equipment, according to fire officials.
Fire officials said the blaze remains active as crews work to increase containment.
For families on Brushy Creek Road, the focus is now on what comes next — securing what’s left, helping neighbors who lost homes, and staying ready in case the fire forces them to leave again.