Fires Rage in Georgia

An extreme drought that has gripped the Southeast for months helped fuel two large, destructive, human-caused wildland fires in southern Georgia in April 2026. The Pineland Road and Highway 82 fires together burned more than 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) as of April 28, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission . Satellite images of the fires captured by Landsat 8 show charred forests and residential areas in and around Atkinson (above) and Fruitland (below). The images are false color ( bands 7-5-4), in which burned areas appear gray and vegetated areas green. The infrared signatures of actively burning fire fronts are orange. By April 25, the fires had destroyed more than 120 homes—the most lost to wildfire in the state's history, according to news reports . The Highway 82 blaze started on April 18 with a spark from a welding operation, and the Pineland Road fire ignited three days later after a mylar balloon collided with power lines. Both blazes spread rapidly amid blustery winds in areas that were parched by months of limited rainfall. Fallen trees and limbs left by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 also helped fuel the fires, according to forestry officials. Heavy rains helped firefighters battle the blazes in recent days, but the Pineland Road fire remained 23 percent contained and the Highway 82 fire 32 percent contained on April 28, the forestry commission reported. …