NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – Crews on Friday afternoon rushed to the scene of a large brush fire off Interstate 520.

Officials said the fire was reported around 1 p.m. and moving quickly because of the wind.

By 2:30 p.m., it covered 12 acres.

North Augusta crews were assisted by Belvedere, Midland Valley, Beech Island, Sage Mill and Merriwether firefighters.

Eastbound I-520 was shut down at Belvedere Clearwater Road after the fire broke out around 1 p.m.

One lane reopened around 2:30 p.m.

Five bulldozers were sent to the scene as well as two planes.

Starting around 2:55 p.m., the planes began repeatedly dumping water on the fire.

PHOTO GALLERY: NORTH AUGUSTA BRUSH FIRE

The fire was 70% contained at that time, and the situation only got better as the afternoon went on.

However, officials said it’s expected to burn for several days.

And that means the air will have smoke in it.

“You know, if you’ve got some kind of allergies that you don’t want to be breathing it, I would suggest you stay inside, keep your windows up at your house and just do anything you can to keep from getting involved with it,” said Lt. Allen C. Swann with the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.

He said the situation could have been much worse.

“You know, we train for all kinds of fires, so we got here quick,” he said.

“We’ve got a great outcome. No structures burned.”

It was a challenge because the fire was on a ridge.

“You know, safety-wise with firetrucks and firefighters on the interstate with cars coming by, that’s why we shut the interstate down pretty quick,” he said.

“We don’t want one of us getting hit and then have to worry about that on top of dealing with the fire.”

Nearby Highland Springs Middle School and Belvedere Elementary dismissed students early from school.

Parents who drive their kids to school were asked to come get their children. Buses were taking the other kids home.

All after-school activities were canceled.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Augusta Technical College has been awarded a large federal grant to help finish its Jim Hudson Automotive Institute.

The federal investment, according to Augusta Technical College, is in the amount of $6,808,307, and is funded from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“This grant is a powerful investment in Augusta’s economic future,” said Dr. Kendricks D. Hooker, President of Augusta Technical College. “The Jim Hudson Automotive Institute will directly address critical workforce shortages while creating pathways to high-wage, in-demand careers for our students. By transforming a legacy automotive site into a modern training facility, we are aligning education, industry, and economic development in a way that delivers real value to employers and opportunity to our community.”

The facility, once renovations are complete, is expected to serve as a state-of-the-art automotive workforce training center to help prepare students in careers related to automotive maintenance technology.

“The Institute will expand Augusta Tech’s automotive training footprint and serve hundreds of credit and non-credit students annually,” a statement from Augusta Technical College reads in part. “It is designed to support dealership operations, fleet maintenance, and emerging vehicle technologies, while providing hands-on, industry-aligned instruction that responds to both regional and national labor market demand.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – With the Peach Belt Conference Tournament set to begin tomorrow, the conference office has announced the 2026 men’s tennis all-conference honors. Arthur Valette headlined Augusta’s selections by earning the Peach Belt Conference Elite 18 Award, presented to the student-athlete competing in the championship with the highest cumulative GPA.

A senior from Lyon, France, Valette competed in 18 matches this season for Augusta. He posted a 9-7 singles record and a 6-10 doubles mark, including a 3-3 record in both singles and doubles during conference play.

Augusta also placed three student-athletes on the all-conference teams. David Perret was named Second Team All-Conference Singles, while the doubles tandem of Alexis Bailhache and Perret earned Second Team All-Conference Doubles honors.

Perret, a junior from London, England, has been a key contributor throughout the season in both singles and doubles play. Bailhache, a senior from Nantes, France, teamed with Perret to give the Jaguars a consistent presence in doubles competition.

League major awards were claimed by Thomas Cardona of Columbus State, who was named Player of the Year, and teammate Hugo Didier, who earned Freshman of the Year honors. Columbus State head coach Evan Isaacs was selected Coach of the Year.

PBC Elite 18 Award

Arthur Valette, Augusta

Senior

• The PBC Elite 18 Award is presented at each of the PBC’s 18 championships to the student-athlete competing with the highest cumulative GPA
• Competed in 18 matches this season for Augusta
• Had a 9-7 record in singles and a 6-10 record in doubles
• Ended conference play with a 3-3 singles record and 3-3 doubles record

 

 

First Team All-Conference Singles

Thomas Cardona, Columbus State

Hugo Didier, Columbus State

Aniss Rafiq, Flagler

Ilian Borlee, Flagler

Harry Pugh, Lander

Pedro Liborio, North Georgia

 

First Team All-Conference Doubles

Andrea Sandrone / Elias Peter, Columbus State

Aly El Rafie / Noah Paterson, Flagler

Harry Pugh / Brendan Jayaprakash, Lander

 

Second Team All-Conference Singles

David Perret, Augusta

Aly El Rafie, Flagler

Simon Malis, Flagler

Chase Martin, GCSU

Daniel García Suárez, Middle Georgia

Alejandro Vizoso Ansedes, Middle Georgia

Joao Silva, North Georgia

 

Second Team All-Conference Doubles

Alexis Bailhache / David Perret, Augusta

Daniel Hammond / Benedek Szombathelyi, Columbus State

Juan Cruz Blanco / Ben Brandl, North Georgia

 

Player of the Year: Thomas Cardona, Columbus State

Freshman of the Year: Hugo Didier, Columbus State

Coach of the Year: Evan Isaacs, Columbus State

Elite 18 Award: Arthur Valette, Augusta

 

Augusta opens Peach Belt Conference Tournament play tomorrow against North Georgia in Columbus, Georgia.