BRANTLEY COUNTY, Fla. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the 120 homes lost to wildfires in Brantley and Clinch counties is a record number for the state.
“We’ve looked at all the records going back historically with the state and we believe that these two fires have created the most lost homes ever in the history of our state,” Kemp said Friday after touring much of the scorched areas in the southern part of Georgia.
“The two fires ... Pineland fire and the Highway 82 fire rank No. 1 and 2 in the country,” Kemp said during a news briefing Friday at the Waycross-Ware County Airport. “So we got the two most dangerous, biggest, problematic fires anywhere in the United States in the small area we’re having to fight. It’s a lot for us to deal with.”
At about noon Saturday, the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office ordered more evacuations for Browntown Road from Hwy 82 to Hwy 32. “LEAVE NOW,” a sheriff’s office social media post said.
The U.S. Highway 82 fire (Brantley County) has grown overnight to about 9,572 acres, a few thousand acres more than the previous day. The Georgia Forestry Commission said the fire was 10 percent contained. By Saturday morning, officials said 90 homes were destroyed there.
The Pineland Road Fire in Clinch County grew a few hundred acres to about 31,976 acres, the Georgia Forestry Commission said late Friday. More than 30 homes were destroyed there.
Glynn County declared a local State of Emergency on Friday to ensure resources can be deployed without delay.
Officials there are urging residents living between Highway 82 and Highway 32 from Old Post Road to Highway 99, and those who live on and between Old Post Road and Buck Swamp Road south of Highway 82, to review emergency plans and gather essential items in case conditions worsen and they must evacuate.
CLICK HERE to view Georgia Forestry Commission’s interactive wildfires map
Wildfire smoke triggers air quality alert across Charlotte area (GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION)
US Wildfires This photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows smoke fills the sky from the Pineland Road Fire in southeast Georgia on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP) (AP)
US Wildfires This photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows burned vehicles and trees from the Pineland Road Fire in southeast Georgia on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP) (AP)
US Wildfires This photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows smoke fills the sky from the Pineland Road Fire in southeast Georgia on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP) (AP)
US Wildfires Fire crews and truck assemble at the Brantley County Airport as they work the Brantley highway 82 fire, Thursday, April 23, 2026, near Nahunta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) (Mike Stewart/AP)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
Emergency crews fight Pineland Road fire in Clinch County (PHOTOS: Georgia Forestry Commission)
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