Augusta, GA
How to protect older homes as cold temps sweep in
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – With temperatures dipping dangerously low in the CSRA, you might be getting creative trying to keep warm.
This time of year, we see a lot of home fires. So many that it’s consistently earned Augusta a top spot in the country for the most home fires.
Back in 2021, Augusta ranked third out of 150 cities. In 2023, we improved a little but not enough to get out of the top 10 coming in ninth.
One reason is the age of our homes.
A map of the average age of homes in the metro shows the spots shaded red are areas where most homes are 80 years or older.
Most of the city of Augusta falls into that category, making home fires more likely and often more deadly.
For Christy Beckham, there are photos containing many lessons learned when it comes to her historic home on Greene Street.
“These houses are not efficient but there are things you can do to make them more efficient,” said Beckham.
She says when she bought the at-risk home four years ago, there were many unknowns.
“We ended up spending so much money that we really didn’t understand or didn’t plan for properly. Electrical plumbing, HVAC, the things you don’t see,” she said.
Beckham says they had to replace some original windows, add mini split cooling and heating units and do other renovations because it affects how heat is distributed.
“Some people go to kind of drastic measures to keep your house warm and sometimes it can lead to fires, or you know, damage,” said Beckham.
The American Red Cross says home heating is one of the leading causes of home fires and injury in the country.
Many of these homes were built in the 1960s with not in mind of all the appliances and devices we leave plugged in now.
Beckham says an older home takes time, money and energy to keep safe, but it’s worth it if it’s done right.
“They were so necessary, and they were huge upgrades. This house is now much safer and much more efficient, much warmer in the winter,” said Beckham.
Experts say space heaters should never be left plugged in overnight or plugged into an extension cord.
A fire should never be left burning unattended, and all furnaces, chimneys and stoves should be inspected yearly, especially in older homes that could have more wear and tear.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.
Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.
Campaign priorities
Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.
“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”
Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Prep student was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats over a picture of a LEGO gun he posted on social media.
It happened Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric Hedinger, the principal of Augusta Preparatory Day School, told deputies a student had uploaded a picture to Snapchat of a “pistol” with the caption “shooting up the school so I don`t have to take the stats exam tomorrow. Don`t come yall!”
The principal said he spoke to the student and his father about the photo.
The principal also provided deputies with the student’s address in Grovetown.
A deputy went there and was told by the student that the “pistol” was a LEGO set that he had built.
He also said the comment he made was supposed to be a joke because he was not looking forward to taking his Advanced Placement statistics test this week.
The student showed the deputy the box that the LEGO set came in, and how the set was already disassembled.
The deputy also looked in the boy’s room to make sure he was not in possession of any weapons.
The mother advised that there was one firearm in the residence but it was locked up.
The deputy contacted Judge Leslie Morgan and she issued a warrant for terroristic threats.
The student, age 18, was taken into custody and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
News 12 is not reporting his name or publishing his photo since the LEGO gun could not have actually harmed anyone.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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