BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. — Life is returning to south Georgia after it was devastated by a wildfire earlier this year, but many are still picking up the pieces.
The Highway 82 wildfire, which began April 20 in Brantley County, burned more than 22,000 acres and destroyed 110 homes. The blaze marked the worst loss of homes from a wildfire in Georgia history.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims went back down to Brantley County and spoke with a family who is trying to pick the pieces back up.
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Many people, like Sherry Houston, were forced to flee as the flames spread.
Her Browntown Road house, built by her father 40 years ago, was reduced to rubble.
“I was raised in it. My children, my brother and sister were also raised,” Houston said. “A lot. A lot of memories. My dad’s pouring sweat and tears into that home. My mama too. It’s just, it’s a lot.”
Months after the blaze, seeing the site of her former home remains an adjustment for Houston.
“To this day, it’s hard to believe that it’s gone, even though I see it every day,” Houston said.
Without homeowner’s insurance, Houston and her family are currently residing on the land in two temporary campers. One camper was donated by a church in Macon, while the second was provided on loan by Emergency RV, a nonprofit organization that supplies recreational vehicles to families displaced by natural disasters.
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Despite the destruction, Houston plans to remain on the property and seek options to rebuild.
“Try to see what we can do financially. Refinance. Whatever we can do to try to put a new home here,” Houston said.
She pointed to her family as her primary motivation to move forward.
“My children, that I’ve got to rebuild and provide for them,” she said.
Community members have assisted the family during the recovery process. A local pastor carved a cross out of a pine stump remaining in Houston’s front yard as new vegetation begins to grow on the charred land.
“The community has been great. They have stepped in. They have helped us with food, clothing, whatever they can,” Houston said.
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