At least eight wildfires continued to tear through parts of southern Georgia and northern Florida on Thursday amid severe drought conditions in the region.<\/p>\n
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As a result, parts of the Southeast are contending with hazardous air quality resulting from the smoke, with the worst conditions reported near Savannah, Georgia; and Columbia, South Carolina.<\/p>\n
A major wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia, was had grown to more than 5,000 acres as of Thursday afternoon and was approximately 15% contained, Blair Joiner, Georgia Forestry Commission regions manager, said at a news conference. <\/p>\n
The fire was growing “to the north” but was “under a full suppression strategy with aggressive efforts underway to control it,” he said.<\/p>\n
Nearly 94% of the Southeast region is experiencing severe to exceptional drought, with the most extreme conditions centered in southern Georgia and northern Florida, where most of the wildfires are.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor<\/a> released a map highlighting the current drought conditions in Florida. The Florida Panhandle is in a D4 Zone, the highest zone, which historically means rapid groundwater decline. A portion of Florida is in a D3 zone, meaning historically, fire risk is extreme, toxic algae blooms may appear, groundwater levels decline, nesting bird populations increase, and more.<\/p>\n Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for 91 counties, which amounts to more than half the state.<\/a><\/p>\n “With much of Georgia remaining in extreme drought conditions, wildfires have already surpassed the state\u2019s five-year average and continue to spread,” Kemp said. <\/p>\n “The emergency declaration allows the Georgia Department of Defense to mobilize the state’s National Guard troops for response and recovery efforts,” the governor’s office said.<\/a><\/p>\n State officials have issued a sweeping burn ban \u2014 the first in the Georgia Forestry Commission’s history \u2014 to prohibit yard debris burning, agricultural burning and prescribed fires for at least 30 days.<\/p>\n The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved Fire Management Assistance Grant declarations for counties affected in Georgia.<\/p>\n In a Facebook video posted Wednesday<\/a>, Georgia Forestry Commission director Johnny Sabo said the state is facing “extreme drought conditions” and that the wildfires have already surpassed the state’s five-year average.<\/p>\n “Right now, Georgia Forestry Commission teams are fully mobilized, working alongside local, state, and federal partners to protect lives, property, and Georgia\u2019s forests. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Sabo said. “Air resources, heavy equipment, and firefighters are actively engaged in suppression and protection efforts.”<\/p>\n On Wednesday alone, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported that it had responded<\/a> to 34 new wildfires that burned approximately 75 acres. That total does not include the Pineland Road Fire, which is estimated to have burned more than 29,600 acres and is 10% contained, or another fire in Brantley County, now estimated at 4,438 acres with 15% containment.<\/p>\n