At least 120 homes destroyed in Georgia wildfires
( NewsNation ) — Evacuations are underway in several Georgia counties as two massive wildfires continue to tear through the southeastern part of the state.
One of the fires is now bigger than Manhattan and still spreading. The Highway 82 fire grew by 10,000 acres over the weekend, more than doubling in size.
Areas that used to be lush pine forests have been ravaged by the fires and are now covered in black and ash, with the ground still warm from the fires and smoke still rising in some burned-out areas.
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The two largest wildfires have burned about 54,000 acres and destroyed more than 120 homes .
Firefighters from across the country are coming to Georgia’s aid to contain and suppress the fires. But there is a lot of dry vegetation , strong winds and heat that make containing the fires difficult.
In Brantley County, Georgia, investigators believe the wildfire was caused by a foil balloon that landed on a live power line.
Evacuation zones have expanded, leaving hundreds of people seeking shelter, staying with family or friends or in shelters. There have also been donations coming in, including food and clothes for people who have lost their homes and for first responders on the fire line.
There is still a lot of uncertainty as the fires grow, with people worried their homes will be next and fearing the number of homes lost is higher than currently known.
Resident Amber McNabb told NewsNation that she was actually living in a shed that she had converted into a tiny home, and she rushed to get her things out. But she wasn’t able to save everything with sentimental value.
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“It just dawned on me that I didn’t take it with me. We did lose everything,” she said. “I was thinking to myself yesterday morning when I got up, I was like, I don’t even have a hairbrush. That’s the main thing, is having a place to lay your head. You know, we don’t have that now. A lot of people don’t have that. That’s hard to tell your 11-year-old. That’s a hard thing for him to face.”
While donations have been coming in from across the country, some people say what is really needed right now is campers and RVs, something that they can stay in that’s more long-term than temporary shelters.
There has also been one death: a volunteer firefighter who passed away from a medical emergency while trying to fight the wildfires.
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