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North Georgia hit with 41 brush fires during extreme drought

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — A forest ranger says brush fires like the ones that burned in nearly every north Georgia county are more dangerous due to drought conditions.

Chief ranger Mark Munns spoke with Channel 2's Rikki Klaus at the site of a fire that started Sunday in Acworth near Northside Drive.

"Every county in the area is having at least one or two fires a day," Munns said.

Munns says he's never seen the drought index as high as it is this weekend. He says the lack of moisture doesn't just increase the risk of fires, it makes them more dangerous.

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"Due to the drought conditions, the fires that are burning right now are burning a lot heavier material than they normally do, (and) therefore require a lot more equipment to put them out," Munns said.

Munns said North Georgia had 22 wildland fires on Saturday and another 19 Sunday.

Munns said rangers like him from all over the state are in North Georgia to help contain the fires. Sunday night, firefighters returned to the site of a homeless camp off Northside Drive to make sure the brush did not reignite.

Munns said humans caused the majority of the fires this weekend. Munns advises avoiding outdoor burning and refrain from using tools that spark outside.