BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. — Wildfires continue to rage across parts of Georgia, destroying dozens of homes so far, with more than 1,000 more in their path.
The Pineland Road Fire has burned more than 16,000 acres so far. Add in the Brantley Fire and the Highland Fire, the fires have burned more than 20,000 acres.
[PHOTOS: Crews battle Georgia wildfire]
The fire forced the state on Wednesday to issue a mandatory burn ban for more than half the state. Gov. Brian Kemp also declared a State of Emergency for the same areas.
Kemp said on Wednesday that at least 1,000 homes could be in the path of the flames over the next 72 hours.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims went to Brantley County on Wednesday, where U.S. 82 was shut down because of the fires. A command center has been set up along the roadway, where at least 22 agencies from across the Southeast have emerged to battle the massive fire.
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During an afternoon news conference, officials said 54 homes had been destroyed, and the fire was only about 10% contained.
Emergency officials said the winds shifted and blew the fire out of control. They also said one firefighter has been injured on the job. They were not seriously hurt, however.
There are mandatory evacuations in the area for several communities. The Brantley County Manager, Joey Cason, said people need to heed these evacuations.
Cason said no officials can force people to leave their homes, but he stressed that people need to leave when they’re told.
“We cannot force these folks to leave, even though we give a mandatory evacuation. When we announce that mandatory evacuation, we have folks from the sheriff’s department, from our fire departments, going door to door and asking these folks to leave. Fortunately, so far, when it’s gotten really hot, they’ve left,” Cason said.
There are a number of shelters open for people to stay at. So far, Mims found that most people have found shelter with family, family members, and at hotels.