2 Georgia wildfires destroy more than 120 homes, scorch over 40,000 acres

U.S. 2 massive Georgia wildfires destroy more than 120 homes, scorch over 40,000 acres Updated on: April 25, 2026 / 3:46 PM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Two massive wildfires in south Georgia have scorched more than 40,000 acres and destroyed over 120 homes.Extreme drought has turned the region into a tinderbox and allowed flames to spread. Overnight, new fires sparked in rural south Georgia. High winds have made efforts to contain the fires difficult, officials said in a news conference Saturday afternoon.Brantley County Manager Joey Cason called the wildfires a "dynamic situation" in a Saturday morning video posted to social media and begged residents to "please evacuate" if they are ordered to do so. New evacuation orders were issued as the fire spread."Leave the scene. This fire is moving at a fast pace and we do not have much control over where it's currently moving. Please leave," Cason said Saturday afternoon at a news conference, addressing Georgia residents facing evacuation orders.One woman — who saw flames coming and fled with four kids and 10 dogs to Florida — said she watched her family's home burn on her phone, through Ring cameras."When both of my devices were offline, and it was black and I couldn't see no more, it was so gut-wrenching because then I knew, like, they got ... what I call home," Anna Dudek told CBS News' Mark Strassmann. The photo provided by the Office of Gov. Brian Kemp shows smoke produced from a wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia, Friday, April 24, 2026. Office of Gov. Brian Kemp via AP Another resident, Jesse Morgan, lost his automotive business, which he started in 1996. He told CBS News his insurance denied his claim, since "acts of God" aren't covered. "I definitely could use some help," he said. "But I'm, you know, I guess my pride is too much. I'm not gonna get out there and ask for it."The Brantley Highway 82 Fire has been burning since Monday and has destroyed at least 87 homes, The Associated Press rep...