Local firefighters join Task Force to help fight the fires in Brantley County
Crews fighting wildfires in south Georgia on April 22, 2026. Photo credit: Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
A fast-moving series of wildfires across South Georgia has prompted sweeping emergency action from state leaders, as crews from across Georgia work to contain blazes fueled by drought and difficult weather conditions.
The City of Social Circle Fire Department is part of the task force that is helping battle the fires.
According to Walton County Deputy Fire Chief Craig League, at this time SCFD is the only Walton County Fire Department that has been asked to assist.
“Georgia Mutual Aid Group put out a request for assistance. GMAG is a mutual aid coordination organization. They coordinate gathering personnel and resources for disaster response,” League said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a State of Emergency covering 91 counties in south Georgia, citing fires that have already surpassed the state’s five-year average. The order, set to remain in place for 30 days, allows state agencies to fully mobilize resources, including the Georgia National Guard, while also prohibiting price gouging in affected areas.
At the same time, the Georgia Forestry Commission has issued a statewide burn ban for those same counties, temporarily prohibiting outdoor burning—including yard debris and agricultural fires—in an effort to prevent further outbreaks. Neither Walton, Gwinnett or any immediate surrounding counties are included in the 91 county burn ban.
State and federal support has ramped up quickly. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved assistance grants for major fires in Clinch, Echols and Brantley counties, while helicopters, heavy equipment and ground crews from multiple agencies have been deployed to assist with suppression, evacuations and recovery.
On the front lines, conditions remain volatile. Social Circle Fire Chief Ken Zaydel, who is deployed with a SCFD task force in Brantley County, described a rapidly intensifying situation.
“We are part of a task force that has been assigned to structure protection on the head of fire between Waynesville and the Glynn County line,” Zaydel said. “The fire is growing rapidly with wind and weather conditions causing the ground speed to pick up. They were at 5% contained when we got here this morning.”
The Brantley County fire alone has grown to more than 5,000 acres and has already destroyed dozens of structures, underscoring the urgency of the response.
Officials continue to urge residents to follow local emergency guidance and remain alert as crews work around the clock to contain the fires and protect communities across South Georgia.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.