Georgia
Wildfires across Georgia and Florida destroy more than 50 homes and force evacuations
NAHUNTA, Ga. — Huge plumes of smoke blanketed swaths of the Southeast on Wednesday as crews battled rapidly growing wildfires that destroyed more than 50 homes in Georgia and forced hundreds to flee the drought- and wind-fueled flames.
Some of the biggest blazes were near Georgia’s coast, while others were popping up in northern Florida, a state facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades.
It was not yet clear how the wildfires started, but the bottom half of Georgia is perilously dry and the conditions prompted the state’s forestry commission to issue a burn ban for the first time in its history. Southeastern Georgia has seen just 11 inches of rain since the beginning of September — almost 15 inches below normal, the National Weather Service said.
The fires spread so quickly in that area that residents received no warnings or alerts.
“I wish that I had knew something more,” said Brianna Elliott, who left home Tuesday only to find her route back blocked by the fires 90 minutes later. “I would have turned around in that moment and gone home and got my animals before anything.”
She now fears that her home and her dogs are gone.
Georgia’s two biggest wildfires together have burned more than 33 square miles, and at least four other smaller fires have been reported in the state.
Dry timber feeds Georgia fires
The fast-moving Brantley County fire threatened roughly 1,000 homes Wednesday after destroying dozens a day earlier.
That fire grew by roughly six times in just a half day Tuesday, said Joey Cason, the county manager. There were fires erupting “in the backyard and people taking off in the front yard,” he said Wednesday.
So far, no major injuries have been reported, Cason said.
The rural county is roughly midway between Georgia’s coastal beaches and the Okefenokee Swamp, dotted with livestock and fruit farms, as well as thick stands of planted pines grown for timber.
Crews worked to create fire breaks and stop the flames from reaching populated areas. The biggest concern was gusting winds that could easily spread embers.
Authorities said rain is desperately needed. The area with the worst fires was in exceptional or extreme drought, the most dire levels, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“If you could start praying for that right now, we’d be grateful,” Cason said.
Pine and hardwood forests in the region are helping charge the fires, said Seth Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Georgia Forestry Commission, and swampy lowlands with thick layers of leaves and woody debris are “super flammable” when they dry out.
The commission’s 30-day burn ban is for the southern part of the state.
FEMA announced the approval of grants for Georgia and Florida to battle the blazes.
More residents told to evacuate
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for more than half of the state’s counties.
More people were told to evacuate from Brantley County on Wednesday afternoon, on top of the 800 evacuations previously. Another large fire that started in nearby Clinch County also prompted evacuations.
Mike Reardon and his wife packed family photos and their dog, Molly Rose, along with new e-bikes before leaving their Brantley County home.
The fire was about a mile away, and a shift in the wind would put flames “in our backyard in a matter of minutes,” he said.
The couple just built the home two years ago.
“It’s more than our house. It’s land that my dad bought years ago,” Liz Reardon said, fighting back tears. “It’s the most beautiful place in the world to me.”
Florida sees its worst wildfire season in decades
In Florida, firefighters battled more than 130 wildfires that burned 39 square miles, mostly in the state’s northern half.
“Florida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years, or it’s turning out to be that way,” state Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said. “We’ve been in drought for 18 months now all across the state.”
Smoke blows into Atlanta and Jacksonville
The National Weather Service said a dangerous combination of low humidity and breezy winds would keep the fire danger elevated Wednesday.
Smoke drifted to Atlanta; Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida. The air quality in parts of south Georgia declined to the unhealthy category, meaning all people there might feel health effects.
Smoky conditions were expected to linger throughout the Atlanta area, according to the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. The worst fires were more than 200 miles southeast of the city.
Smoke from Georgia fires also spread into South Carolina, according to its forestry commission.
The high fire risk was expected to continue each afternoon through Friday due to the very dry conditions, the weather service said.
Georgia
How Georgia’s economy drew the World Cup—and how the World Cup will strengthen Georgia’s economy
Illustration by Dan Matutina
It’s the $1 billion dollar question: What prompted FIFA to choose Atlanta as one of the host cities for this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026™? The answer is the same one that lures companies from all over the world to Georgia: the state’s robust economy, strong infrastructure, and cooperative culture.
Since the Olympics, Georgia has positioned itself as the Gateway to the South for global business. It has built a diverse industry base in fields such as agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, film and television, technology, and aerospace. Direct foreign investment is strong here: Atlanta is home to more than 70 foreign consulates, trade missions, and bi-national chambers of commerce.
One of Georgia’s biggest assets is global connectivity—by air, rail, road, and waterways, says Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Eighty percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour direct flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest passenger hub. Georgia’s interstate system provides 20,000 miles of federal and state highways, and the Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing container terminal on the East Coast. All of this allows sports fans, foreign dignitaries, and corporate executives to get in and out of Atlanta very easily. “And business follows connectivity,” Wilson says.
These factors, combined with Georgia’s long history of cooperation between the private and public sectors, helped seal its position as a host city. And that, in turn, will pay dividends.
Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
Courtesy of Stone Mountain
Photograph by GenePage/ AMC
Take, for example, tourism. Explore Georgia, the state’s tourism arm, is betting big that FIFA World Cup 2026™ could potentially catapult the state’s visitor numbers to unprecedented levels. To maximize the possibilities, it has launched a global marketing campaign in conjunction with the tournament, including ads on stadium and railway-station billboards in the United Kingdom. “We want visitors to make Georgia their home-away-from-home during the World Cup,” Wilson says.
Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, is similarly bullish. Much like after the Olympics 30 years ago, she expects the city and state to leverage the global soccer tournament’s effects for decades to come. Economic-impact estimates range from $500 million to over $1 billion. “Atlanta does ‘big’ well,” she says. “And I’m confident that we will see increased foreign direct investment and show the world once again that here in Georgia, business culture and innovation naturally converge.”
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Georgia leaders from both political parties are paying tribute to longtime U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following the South Carolina Republican’s death at age 71, remembering him as a dedicated public servant whose influence stretched far beyond his home state.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said he joined others across the country in mourning Graham’s passing.
“I join in mourning Senator Lindsey Graham and extend my deepest condolences to the Senator’s family, friends, and staff,” Ossoff said.
Ossoff praised Graham’s military service and lengthy congressional career.
“Senator Graham dedicated his life to the United States, from his service in the U.S. Air Force to his representation of the State of South Carolina in the U.S. House and Senate. Lindsey was an energetic leader who loved South Carolina. May Lindsey’s memory be a blessing.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock also shared condolences, calling Graham a man of faith who served his state with determination.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Warnock wrote on X. “He was a man of great faith who served the people of South Carolina with passion and tenacity. I am praying for his family and his loved ones as they mourn this tremendous loss.”
Gov. Brian Kemp described Graham as a patriot and a friend whose impact reached across Washington.
“Senator Lindsey Graham was a patriot, an impactful public servant, and a friend,” Kemp said. “His love of this nation, unyielding belief in its possibilities, and defense of its values made him a true force to be reckoned with in Washington.”
Kemp added that he, First Lady Marty Kemp and their family were praying for Graham’s loved ones and for South Carolina during what he called a difficult time.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who is challenging Ossoff in November’s U.S. Senate election, also reflected on Graham’s legacy.
“Leigh Ann and I are praying for Senator Graham’s loved ones during this time of immeasurable grief and reflecting upon his many years of public service,” Collins said.
Collins added that while he did not know Graham well personally, he admired the senator’s defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation hearings, calling it “a commitment to our nation and the truth that should be admired.”
Graham served South Carolina in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades after previously representing the state in the U.S. House. Throughout his career, he became one of Senate Republican’s leading voices on national security, foreign policy and immigration, while emerging as one of the Republican Party’s most influential lawmakers.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from leaders across the country.
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