atlanta — Atlanta (AFP) – forest fires Fires intensified in the southeastern United States on Wednesday after destroying nearly 50 homes in southeastern Georgia and forcing some communities to evacuate.
Some of the largest fires occurred in and around Jacksonville, Florida, and along the Georgia coast. Long drought, low humidity and strong winds are fueling the fires, and Florida is facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades.
In southeast Georgia, 47 homes were lost Tuesday in a fast-moving wildfire, according to Brantley County Administrator Joey Casson.
“There were literally evacuations of people being taken out by our EMS off the porch where the fire was in their backyard,” Casson told WJAX-TV.
The Georgia Forestry Association said Wednesday morning that evacuations were underway in multiple communities. “This is a serious and evolving situation,” said Tim Lorimore, the company’s president. & CEO of the Association.
In Florida, firefighting equipment has been deployed across the state so resources are closer to the fires, state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said.
“Florida has had one of the worst fire seasons in the last 30 or 40 years, or it seems to be going that way,” Simpson said. “We’ve been in a drought for 18 months now across the state.”
wildfire Amtrak train service was disrupted Monday in the northeastern part of the state. Service returned to normal on Wednesday, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll.
A dangerous combination of low humidity and high winds will keep fire danger high on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Smoke drifted into Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. Some areas closest to the fires saw air quality warnings.
Smoke conditions are expected to continue throughout the Atlanta area on Wednesday, according to the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. The worst of the fires were burning more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast of the city.
The high fire danger is expected to remain each afternoon through Friday due to extremely dry conditions, the weather service said.