Wildfires rage across Georgia and northern Florida amid severe drought

U.S. newsWildfires rage across Georgia and northern Florida amid severe droughtThe fires have destroyed dozens of structures and forced emergency measures, as drought and low humidity fuel dangerous conditions across the Southeast.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Firefighters and support staff work at the staging grounds for the Brantley Highway 82 wildfire near Nahunta, Ga., on April 23.Sean Rayford / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 23, 2026, 2:37 PM EDTBy Francie Ebert and Kathryn ProcivAt least eight wildfires continued to tear through parts of southern Georgia and northern Florida on Thursday amid severe drought conditions in the region.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.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.A major wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia, was approximately 15% contained as of Thursday morning after having burnt roughly 5,000 acres. The fire destroyed 54 structures and had threatened about 1,000 homes a day earlier, officials said.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.Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for 91 counties, which amounts to more than half the state."With much of Georgia remaining in extreme drought conditions, wildfires have already surpassed the state’s five-year average and continue to spread," Kemp said. "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 in the Wednesday release.State officials have issued a sweeping burn ban — the first in the Georgia Forestry Commission's h...