Wildfire in Wayne, Georgia

On April 20, 2026 at 4 PM EDT, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported a wildfire developed along Highway 82 near Atkinson, GA. The Highway 82 fire was caused by a Mylar balloon coming into contact with a power line, creating an electrical arc that ignited the surrounding vegetation. This wildfire resulted in the worst home loss from a single fire in Georgia history, with 110 homes destroyed and 27 homes damaged. On April 25th, the fire grew to 9,578 acres per overnight infrared flight mapping. Evacuation areas were expanded to the Brantley'Wayne County line due to the fire movement to the north and northeast, while evacuations and road closures on the southern portion of the fire have been lifted. Wayne County issued Mandatory Evacuations for the area from the Brantley County Line at Wire Rd to Post Rd, to Ten Mile Rd and all areas in between. The fire was 13,745 acres and 7% contained. The fire produced 150-foot flame lengths during a significant run toward Browntown Road. The blaze was a plume-dominated wildfire, a rare occurrence that happened on multiple days during the fire. On April 26th, a Mandatory Evacuation was issued for the entire community of Manningtown, off of Browntown Road by Wayne County Emergency Management. Infrared mapping showed the fire at approximately 20,933 acres with 7% containment. Without precipitation, the fire was very active again with wind driven movement to the northeast and east until the wind shifted in the afternoon with the sea breeze. At 5 PM, Wayne County EM announced the fire had crossed into Wayne county. At 8 PM, an isolated thunderstorm moved over the fire bringing rain amounts of 0.4 to 0.8 inches. This amount of rain did not extinguish the fire, but briefly decreased the extreme fire behavior. On April 28th, the fire was 22,600 acres and 32% contained. On April 30th, roads from Browntown south of Murphy Road and HWY 32 were opened. The fire was 22,532 acres and 37% contained. More smoke occurred on April 30th in bay vegetation due to hot and dry conditions, extended long-term drought and lack of rain. A new fire started north of the Hwy 82 Fire in Wayne County that was approximately 40 acres.

On April 20, 2026 at 4 PM EDT, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported a wildfire developed along Highway 82 near Atkinson, GA. The Highway 82 fire was caused by a Mylar balloon coming into contact with a power line, creating an electrical arc that ignited the surrounding vegetation. This wildfire resulted in the worst home loss from a single fire in Georgia history. The wildfire was difficult to contain because of hot and dry conditions, extended long-term drought, breezy winds and lack of rain across southeast Georgia.