A fast-growing Georgia wildfire tops 31 square miles, with evacuations possible

National A fast-growing Georgia wildfire tops 31 square miles, with evacuations possible April 26, 20264:28 PM ET By  The Associated Press The photo provided by the Office of Gov. Brian Kemp shows smoke produced from a wildfire in Brantley County, Ga., Friday, April 24, 2026. Office of Gov. Brian Kemp/AP hide caption toggle caption Office of Gov. Brian Kemp/AP NAHUNTA, Ga. — One of two large wildfires in southeastern Georgia continues to grow and now exceeds 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), officials reported Sunday. The Highway 82 Fire has been burning since April 20 and as of Saturday had destroyed at least 87 homes. On Sunday morning, officials said it was only 7% contained. Highway 82 in Brantley County is about 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) north of the state line with Florida. "The fire basically doubled last night in size," Brantley County Manager Joey Cason said Sunday in a Facebook post. "It is a dynamic fire event that will be impacted by the wind." Sponsor Message National Wildfires continue to spread across South Georgia amid drought conditions Wind gusts of about 15 mph (24.1 kph) were expected Sunday. Cason also said evacuation notices could be issued Sunday and that residents should heed them. "We had folks that did not evacuate and they almost got caught by that fire," he added. "It's going to be another potential bad fire day as the winds pick up later in the day." A second fire about 70 miles (110 kilometers) to the southwest in Clinch and Echols counties, near the Florida state line, had burned more than 46 square miles (121 square kilometers), destroyed at least 35 homes and only was about 10% contained as of Saturday. That blaze was started by sparks from a welding operation. The Highway 82 fire was started by a foil balloon hitting live power lines. That created an electrical arc that ignited combustible material on the ground. More crews were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday to help battle it, Cason said. "There's a ton of assets...