Massive wildfire in Southeast Georgia

A rainfall deficit and strong winds converged to spawn wildfires across Georgia and the Southeast this weekend. Experts say more blazes could be on the horizon.

Wildfires are raging across Georgia and North and South Carolina. The last few weeks of dry, windy conditions in the South are extremely conducive to fire. Now hundreds of separate fires have caught and thousands of acres have burned, per Axios. Dozens of people have evacuated while firefighters combat the blazes.

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A backyard fire quickly grew out of control on Tuesday afternoon, igniting four to six acres of woods near I-20 and Bright Star Road in Douglasville.

Evacuation notices were issued where homes were close to flames, such as in the Grand Strand of South Carolina and the western region of North Carolina, including the community of Tryon, North Carolina. As of Sunday, local authorities had not reported any destroyed homes from the fires.

The downed power line that sparked a wildfire here that ultimately burned more than 600 acres in western North Carolina fell a couple hundred feet from where U.S. 176 has abruptly ended since Hurricane Helene washed away a section of roadway.

Georgia, the Carolinas and even Alabama have seen intense wildfires spread over the past week. While fires aren't unusual in the South, experts say climate change is likely to lead to more severe threats going forward.