WAYNESVILLE — A brush fire quickly spread Wednesday into a wildfire destroying three homes, six cars and seven sheds/outbuildings.
The wind-driven fire (wind speed of five mph, gusts up to 13 mph recorded by WeatherStem Waynesville), which started around 2:50 p.m., impacted approximately 8.36 acres.
Reports indicated an unidentified man lit a fire nearby, without a permit, while trying to clear land. It’s unclear whether he will be facing charges.
“This was its own monster,” said Andrew Altman. “ This was almost incomparable to what we’ve recently experienced. It was extremely difficult to breathe, it was difficult to see, we could barely see where the driveways are.”
The area around Couper Road, Harrington Road and Tyson Road was closed for several hours as fire units fought the out of control blaze. Traffic and school buses were rerouted.
Residents said it was like a war zone with propane tanks exploding and what sounded like bullets popping.
Answering the call were 13 agencies — Waynesville Volunteer Fire Department, Nahunta Volunteer Fire Department, Hortense Volunteer Fire Department, Hoboken Volunteer Fire Department, Calvary Volunteer Fire Department, Glynn County Fire Department, Georgia Forestry, Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, Brantley Schools Police Department, Brantley County EMS, OREMC, Red Cross and Brantley E911.
Altman says even with the 80 first responders who worked to put the fire out, it was one of the worst he has ever fought. He says no fire in the area has ever burned through so much property.
There were eight engines, five tankers, six brush trucks and a rescue unit among the fire apparatus on scene. Approximately 39,750 gallons of water were used to fight the fire.
Three EMS units responded along with seven law enforcement units. OREMC sent several trucks to assist with electrical hazards and with restoration efforts.
“This required a multi-agency effort,” Altman said. “The collaboration between fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, forestry and utility personnel played a crucial role in mitigating the impact. We were able to leverage personnel and resources to protect lives and property.”
