Wildfire in Fannin, Georgia

In the early morning hours of October 16th, lightning ignited a wildfire deep in the heart of the Cohutta Wilderness in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The 'Rough Ridge' wildfire spread through the very remote Cohutta Wilderness and surrounding portions of the Chattahoochee National Forest, eventually consuming 27,950 acres in Fannin, Gilmer and Murray Counties. Nearly $8.5 million federal dollars were expended fighting this wildfire before it was finally declared contained on November 30th.

Throughout the spring, summer and autumn, north Georgia saw an extended period of below normal rainfall. By late summer and early fall all of north Georgia was experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions. As summer vegetation began to die off and autumn leaves began falling from the trees, the continued extremely dry conditions led to very dangerous wildfire conditions. From early October through November, numerous wildfires erupted across north and central Georgia including 3 major wildfires covering multiple thousands of acres apiece in the north Georgia mountains. By early December, over $20 million dollars in federal funds had been spent fighting wildfires in the Chattahoochee National Forest and on surrounding federal and state lands.