REVISED Highway 82 Fire Morning Update Saturday May 2, 2026 10:30 a.m.
A Multi-Agency Information Center will be hosted at the Atkinson Elementary School Gym Saturday, May 2nd, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This event is designed to give community members support, direct points of contact, and information.
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 22,532 acres and 45% contained. The reduction in acreage and increase in containment is due to the continued efforts of firefighters to compare infrared mapping to the actual fire perimeter on the ground.
Resources:
626 Personnel
3 Type 1 Helicopters
1 Type 3 helicopter
2 Type 1 Crews
6 Type 2 IA Crews
1 Camp Crew
2 Ambulance
7 Type 1 engines
1 Type 4 engines
50 Type 6 engines
5 Tractor Plows
29 Dozers
17 Water Tenders
Operations: South of Highway 82, crews continue to pull apart berms along primary lines to extinguish persistent heat. Crews continue to improve Old KOA Road to act as a contingency line. West of Boots Harrison Road toward Browntown Road, the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) continues to work within the fire footprint using infrared technology to identify persistent heat signatures for firefighters to locate and extinguish and will move around the fire area throughout the day to include detection flights along the SR 110 corridor. East and West of Browntown Road, along primary lines, crews continue aggressive mop up operations in areas
with persistent heat. West of Wire Road crews are improving contingency lines and extinguishing heat sources. Further north on Browntown Road moving west to Fendig Road, crews are working with timber companies to remove merchantable timber with heavy equipment to complete the 200-foot wide fuel break on timber company land. More equipment will be assisting in that area today. South of Hwy 32 along Fendig Road, and south along SR 110, crews continue to extinguish organic soils along primary lines that have persisting heat.
Weather and Fire Behavior: The forecast today is cloudy with widespread showers and thunderstorms, beginning this morning and continuing through early afternoon through 3:00 p.m. A period of heavy rain is likely with rainfall amounts of 0.50 to 1.00 inches. Winds become northwest 10 to 15 miles per hour with gusts 20 to 25 miles per hour. Gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour are possible with the thunderstorms.
As precipitation returns to the fire, moisture content will increase in fine fuels (grasses).With higher fuel moisture, expect to see even less fire behavior. During and after the rain event very little fire behavior will be found. This rain will not be enough to extinguish the fire especially in the burning organic soils.
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. A Multi-Agency Information Center will be hosted at the Atkinson Elementary School Gym Saturday, May 2nd, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 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.
