BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. – The line of tankers doesn’t stop for long.
One truck eases in, brakes hissing, as a pump growls beside a private pond off Browntown Road.
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The hoses snap into place. Water surges. Minutes later, the tanker pulls out, headed toward the smoke — and the next rig takes its place.
Ponds like these have become a crucial supply point for the Highway 82 Fire, and the operation running it is staffed by volunteer firefighters from Waynesville.
“Here in Waynesville Georgia, we don’t have a water main or a large water supply,” David Clark, a volunteer with the Waynesville Fire Department, said. “So we rely on our ponds and rivers to provide water.”
Clark said crews are drafting water from the pond to refill trucks that shuttle it to firefighters working hot spots deeper in the fire zone. With crews coming in from across the country, he said the demand is constant.
Clark served 12 years in the Navy. After leaving the military, he said he still wanted a way to serve the people around him — and volunteer firefighting gave him that opportunity.
“It’s an opportunity to help people on their worst day,” he said.
He said that “worst day” has meant long shifts since the Highway 82 began.
He was among the first to respond to the now historic fire.
“It’s been pretty rough on us and our families,” Clark said. “The first week or so we were doing about 20 hour days.”
Clark said more resources have arrived as the incident has grown, including crews traveling from outside Georgia.
But he said local volunteers continue to carry their part of the load because the impact is close to home.
“This is my home,” he said. “As a volunteer fireman these are my friends, my family, my neighbors so we come out here and do what we can to make that impact and help.”
And it starts with helping get hundreds of thousands of gallons of water into the heat of the battle.
Fire officials say residents will have a chance to get information and resources this weekend. A multi-agency information center is scheduled for Saturday at the Atkinson Elementary School gym from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for anyone with questions as the community moves forward.
The Highway 82 Fire started April 20 and is impacting the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville. Fire officials said the fire has burned 22,532 acres and was 45% contained as of Friday morning.