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In Brantley County, Georgia, a devastating wildfire has erupted along Highway 82, wreaking havoc on local communities and posing a significant threat to residences. Here’s the latest on the situation.
BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. — A formidable blaze has engulfed over 22,000 acres in Brantley County, Georgia, as reported by the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire has severely affected residents across Brantley, Wayne, and Glynn counties, leading to the destruction of at least 90 buildings.
Firefighting efforts are in full swing, with teams from various local and state agencies striving to contain the blaze, aided by federal support. As the fire continues to evolve, authorities have enforced road closures to ensure public safety.
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In response to the ongoing threat, Brantley County Schools have decided to shut down all schools until at least Tuesday. They will provide updates on meal distribution times and locations via the school district’s Facebook page on Sunday. The district is actively working with safety officials to evaluate when it will be safe to reopen schools.
Local residents are expressing their shock and concern, noting that they have never witnessed a disaster of this magnitude before.
“We kind of figured it was gonna happen with the drought that we’ve had, but as far as it getting this bad, we never would’ve seen this coming,” one resident, Korey Sellers, said.
We have the latest updates here.
Brantley Highway 82 Fire – Brantley County, Georgia
7 a.m. Tuesday Update: Brantley County officials said roads around the fire may have reduced visibility Tuesday morning due to smoke, in particular along Hwy 110 and Post Road where evacuation levels changed Monday.
8:30 p.m. Monday Update: One week after igniting in Brantley County, Ga., the Highway 82 fire is more than 22,000 acres and just 6% contained, according to officials.
Nearly 450 personnel have been brought in to take on the fire, which slowed in growth Monday partly due to higher humidity and lower temperatures. A brief, heavy downpour brought “much-needed rain” to the fire Sunday night. Officials said water guages in the fire area measured between 0.4 and 0.8 inches of rain, not enough to put the fire out but enough to provide some relief to firefighters.
Officials said they were able to strengthen containment lines, particularly in the Highway 110 corridor, where mandatory evacuations were lifted Monday, and along Browntown Road.
Intermittent closures of Highway 110 and Highway 82 remain possible if visibility worsens.
A curfew remains in effect from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. in impacted Brantley County areas.
The sheriff’s office adjusted road closures and evacuation zones on the eastern side of the fire as well.
The following roads have reopened:
- Post Road (side roads off Post that are not through roads are open)
- Eastern portion of Albert Gibson (west of Boots Harrison remains CLOSED)
- Eastern portion of Murphy Road to Mineral Springs
The areas remain within a voluntary evacuation zone. The sheriff’s office said deputies will remain in the area as a precaution.
Below is a map from the sheriff’s office showing the evacuation zones and wildfire perimeter as of Monday evening:
In the announcement, the sheriff’s office said residents from the Highway 110 area would be required to show proof of address at the Satilla Grocery/HWY 259 or HWY 32/301 intersection at the open lot on the west side of 301 to get a placard, allowing them to come and go from the voluntary evacuation zone.
The sheriff’s office said all children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult in the area at all times.
No commercial vehicles will be allowed through on Highway 110.
Officials warn that conditions may change, and they may be ordered to evacuate again.
Glynn and Wayne counties also downgraded some of their mandatory evacuation orders to voluntary evacuations Monday afternoon after reevaluations of the wildfire situation.
In Glynn County, the following mandatory evacuation orders were downgraded due to the fire being expected to head west:
- Old Post Road to Highway 32
- Highway 32 to Thalman Park Lane
- Thalman Park Lane to Bladen Road
- Bladen Road to Old Post Road
There are currently no mandatory evacuations in Glynn County. Several road closures have also been lifted.
These are the road closures active in Glynn County as of Monday afternoon:
- Highway 32 closed between Highway 301 and Highway 99 (GDOT)
- Highway 110 closed between Highway 32 and Highway 82 (GDOT)
For the county’s latest updates, visit the wildfire page here.
In Wayne County, mandatory evacuation orders are still in effect from the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Mt. Pleasant Road to the county line (7926 Mt. Pleasant Rd to 92 Mobile Rd)
The following areas also downgraded to voluntary evacuation zones:
- The entire community of Manningtown
- The area from the Brantley County line at Wire Road to Post Road to Ten Mile Road, including all areas in between
8:30 p.m. Sunday Update: The Highway 82 fire was more than 22,000 acres Sunday evening, with containment estimated at 6%, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
“Firefighters continued to improve lines along Boots Harrison Road down to Albert Gibson Road. Dozer lines are being installed east of Browntown Road through pine plantation to Albert Gibson Road,” officials said in an 8:30 p.m. update. “Albert Gibson Road is holding well to the north to Boots Harrison. Firefighters used firing operations to remove unburned fuels around structures on Boots Harrison Road and Hot shot crews conducted strategic firing in places to clean up small pockets of unburned fuels to establish secured lines from Fin Dig to the south to Campbell Road.”
Winds are expected to continue coming from the Northeast Monday. Due to the recent wind shift, officials warn that there may be an increase in smoke along Highway 82 through Atkinson, Lulaton and Nahunta further west. Intermittent closures of Highway 82 are possible.
While thunderstorms did blow over the fire area Sunday night, rainfall was not heavy enough to make a significant change in conditions.
You can monitor the air quality in your area online here.
5:20 p.m.: Sunday Update: Wayne County Emergency Management said just before 5 p.m. that the fire had crossed northward over the county line, officially making it a multi-county fire. The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office says fire activity is expected to increase over the next several hours.
“Fire lines along Boots Harrison Road down to Albert Gibson are holding at this time, helping slow progression in that area,” the sheriff’s office said in a 5 p.m. update.
4:30 p.m. Sunday Update: Brantley County Schools announced its safety and recovery teams are working to provide food, medical services and other resources for students and staff on Monday and Tuesday, with school being cancelled due to the fire.
For health services, Brantley County Schools students and staff can visit the Heron Health Clinic at Brantley County High School from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Displaced Brantley County Schools families can receive resources, including meals and supplies, from the Brantley County Schools Transportation Office from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
7:30 a.m. Sunday Update: A Brantley County official told First Coast News the fire is now mapped at 20,933 acres and is still 7% contained. It is moving north of Highway 32 and east of Browntown Road.
Mandatory evacuations remain in place for the following Brantley County locations:
- GA-110 (Yellow Pine Rd) to Thrower Rd
- From Thrower Rd to Mossy Oak
- Browntown Road
- Hawks Landing Neighborhood
- Happy Hollow
- Drury Lane
- Drury Court
- Coffee Co. Club Road
- Warners Landing
- Oaks Woodlands
- Atkinson Road
- Godberry Lane
- Brushing Creek,
- Fort Mcintosh to Highway 520
As of Saturday evening, April 26, the Highway 82 wildfire in Brantley County, Ga., had crossed Browntown Road in multiple locations and was pushing east toward Post Road. The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office issued an urgent directive for residents in the fire’s path to leave immediately. Containment fell to 7%, down from an earlier revised figure as fire activity intensified.
By 5 p.m. Saturday, the National Interagency Fire Center mapped the fire at 13,738 acres. Active road closures included Browntown Road from the Wayne County line to Highway 82, Post Road from the Wayne County line to Highway 32, Little Memorial Road from Highway 32 to the Wayne County line, and Highway 110W from Highway 82 to Highway 32.
A mandatory overnight curfew remained in effect from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. in affected Brantley County zones, and Brantley County Schools confirmed closures through Tuesday, April 28.
The Glynn County Board of Commissioners issued mandatory evacuation orders Saturday for residents closest to the Brantley County line:
- Old Post Road to Highway 32
- Highway 32 to Thalman Park Lane
- Thalman Park Lane to Bladen Road
- Bladen Road to Old Post Road
Glynn County residents can text GLYNN to 24639 for evacuation updates.
For the latest fire updates, Brantley County established the following communication methods:
- Email: 2026.Hwy82@firenet.gov
- Fire Information: 912-612-7449 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- Road Closures, Evacuations: 912-674-5878 or 912-674-0195
On Friday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency and mandatory burn ban across 91 Central and South Georgia counties. Speaking at the Ware County Airport, Kemp said the Highway 82 fire and the Pineland Road fire in Clinch and Echols counties ranked as the worst in Georgia’s history. As of Friday, 87 homes had been destroyed in Brantley County, with 800 more in harm’s way. Six Georgia National Guard helicopters were deployed to assist firefighting efforts.
Georgia State Forester Johnny Sabo said the Highway 82 fire represented the greatest single-wildfire loss of homes in state history. Kemp praised the focus of the firefighters and first responders after touring conditions in Brantley County.
“I know they’re tired, but they’re not gonna say that,” Kemp said of the firefighters. “It’s an incredible testament to those hard-working state employees…and everyone out there working this fire.”
The Southern Area Complex Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire, working for the Georgia Forestry Commission and with state, county and local partners, the sheriff’s office said.
Evacuation orders expanded throughout the week. By Friday morning, a mandatory evacuation covered residents from Browntown Road to Old Post Road at Highway 32 to Highway 110. Wayne County Emergency Management issued a mandatory order for all residents from the Brantley County line to Ten Mile Road between Post Road and Wire Road.
On Wednesday, FEMA approved Fire Management Assistance Grants to help cover up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs for the Georgia fires and the Railroad Complex fire in Florida. A state of emergency for Brantley County was officially declared April 22.
“It’s a miracle that we have not had any lives lost,” Brantley County Manager Joey Cason said Wednesday.
Fire investigators believe the Highway 82 blaze began Monday, April 20, when a balloon struck a power line, causing an arc that ignited. The fire grew rapidly Tuesday evening, expanding from roughly 700 acres and losing nearly all containment progress.