Highway 82 Fire Morning Update Thursday April 30, 2026 10:30 a.m.

Overview: The Highway 82 fire is located in Brantley County, Georgia and is impacting the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville. The fire began on Monday April 20th. The entire state of Georgia is in a drought with Brantley County being in an exceptional drought. Due to these drought conditions and hot and dry weather, this fire continues to be a dynamic, changing situation, challenging firefighting efforts.

The fire is 22,600 acres and 33% contained.

598 Personnel

4 Type 1 Helicopters

1 Type 3 helicopter

4 Type 1 Crews

1 Type 2 Crew

2 Type 2 IA Crews

2 Ambulance

11 Type 1 engines

1 Type 3 engine

3 Type 4 engines

32 Type 6 engines

19 Tractor Plows

30 Dozers

Operations: South of Hwy 82, crews are continuing to mop up hot spots that were found in dozer berms along containment lines. Crews are also constructing additional contingency line locations south of the fire footprint. Mop up is being utilized to locate and extinguish remaining heat in and around the fire perimeter by searching for heat, digging out burning material such as roots, stumps, and organic soil, and applying water and stirring so heat can dissipate. Crews also continue mopping up hotspots along the east and west sides of Browntown Road and over to Boots Harrison Road. Crews are also focusing on falling hazard trees around structures west and east of Browntown Road towards Boots Harrison Road and north to Highway 32. Additional contingency lines are being scouted and installed east of Boots Harrison Road to Post Road. North of Highway 32, contingency lines are being installed around structures through Ten Mile Road and west toward Mount Pleasant Road. Crews continue mop up operations across the entirety of the northern footprint of the fire. Further north, crews are working with timber companies to install a 200-foot fuel break to limit potential spread and preserve timber value should fire activity increase. To the west, additional contingency lines are being put in from the western fire footprint all the way to US 301. South of Highway 32, along Fendig and Doe Roads, crews are continuing mop up operations. Heat along SR 110 was found, primarily along powerlines where tree falling operations occurred. Crews will continue to extinguish these areas of heat.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Today is expected to be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers or thunderstorms. West winds are expected at 5-10 miles per hour with gusts ranging from 15-20 miles per hour. Minimum RH is expected to range from 55-65%, with temperatures peaking around 80 degrees. Today’s chance of measurable rain (0.01” or more) is forecasted at 70% and a chance of wetting rain (0.25” or more) is forecasted at 30%.

Moisture returns to the fire area and will moisten the fuels. Higher fuel moisture will limit fire behavior to smoldering. No perimeter growth is expected.

Evacuation Area: For Brantley county evacuations, visit Brantley County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page or call the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office at 912-674-5878 or 912-674-0195. For evacuations in Wayne County, visit Wanye County Emergency Management Facebook and for evacuations in Glynn County, visit Glynn County Board of Commissioners Facebook Page.

Community Support: The American Red Cross shelter in Brunswick, located at 100 Genoa Martin Drive at the Selden Park Complex, is open for evacuees and will also be providing an air-conditioned mobile unit to house small pets (dogs/cats) in crates inside the unit. Bedding and crates can be provided.  Please call 1-800-Red-Cross for more information and to communicate the unmet needs of your family or community so assistance can go where it is needed most. Georgia Department of Agriculture has designated locations identified on their website for large animals. Local day shelters available at Nahunta Methodist Church and Southside Baptist Church. Pets are only permitted at the Red Cross Shelter in Brunswick.

Donations: For affected community members, Brantley Gas, 114 Satilla Ave, Nahunta is accepting donations to include new or gently used clothing, hangers, hygiene items, and empty totes with lids. H & S Haulers, 125 Industrial Park, Nahunta is accepting nonperishable items and pet food. Brantley County Family Connections, 10305 Main Street, Nahunta is also accepting donations.

Safety: Brantley County mandatory curfew from 8:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M. will remain in effect through the duration of this incident. There is a burn ban in place for all counties in south Georgia. Although there was rain over the fire area, the entire region is still in a drought and all residents are asked to continue to follow the burn ban in place.

Closures: Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia State Patrol are closely monitoring the smoke and fog conditions along roadways to maintain public safety along the highway. Additionally, there are a significant number of road closures around the fire impacted area. Please heed all road closure barricades and direction from law enforcement on scene.

There is a temporary flight restriction (TFR) over the fire area to avoid conflict between personal aircraft and firefighting efforts. This includes all recreational and professional unmanned aircraft (drones). If you fly, we can’t.