A wildfire in South Georgia has grown to nearly 9,000 acres and was just 10% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission.
The Pinelands Road fire was one of 52 that started in just two days, April 18 and 19, as most of Georgia experiences drought conditions.
Rainfall and water levels are far below normal across the state, increasing fire risk.
While it’s common for fires to start in Georgia forests due to lightning strikes, stray cigarettes, sparks from backyard fires and a number of other causes. But normally, thanks to forest management and plenty of rain, most don’t burn very far. Officials say this year is different.
“Under drought conditions, we have that much less water available either in the water table or in our swamps, ditches, drains, lakes,” said state forester Johnny Sabo. “So the wildfires can spread more rapidly.”
A large swath of South Georgia is in an Exceptional Drought, the driest category under the federal drought monitoring system. Much of the rest of the state is in Extreme Drought, the next level down. Local governments are imposing burn bans, asking people not to light any fires outdoors. It’s critical Georgians heed those warnings, Sabo said.
“That is our number one cause of wildfires in the state are humans, unfortunately — people being careless,” he said.
Beyond the current drought, Georgia’s wildfire risk could also increase in the coming years because of the recent closures of several paper mills.
Foresters keep fire risk down by clearing out smaller trees so others can grow tall. But those small trees are typically turned into paper products. Without the mills to buy them, industry experts worry landowners won’t clear them.
“You’ll get more standing timber or downed timber that’s dead and incredibly flammable,” said Erin Lincoln, director of the Center for Forest Business at UGA.
Many Georgia forests also still have downed trees from Hurricane Helene, she said, providing more potential fuel for large fires.
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
