Heavy rain not ‘nearly enough’ to tame two wildfires in drought-stricken Georgia

Pineland Road fire and Highway 82 fire have destroyed over 100 homes, and are part of large number of wildfires this spring in the US south Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Heavy rain slowed the progress of two sprawling southern Georgia wildfires over the weekend, allowing crews to make some progress in containing the blazes that have destroyed more than 100 homes. Although the rain helped the firefighting efforts, it wasn’t “nearly enough to put the fires out” and crews responded to 10 new blazes throughout the drought-stricken state Sunday, the Georgia Forestry Commission said on Monday. The biggest blaze, the Pineland Road fire, has scorched more than 50 sq miles (130sq km) and at least 35 homes in a sparsely populated and heavily wooded part of the state about 35 miles (56km) north of Florida, which is also dealing with wildfires. The area has been full of highly combustible dead trees and other vegetation since Hurricane Helene carved a destructive path northward in September of 2024. The second-biggest, the Highway 82 fire, has been burning since 20 April about 60 miles (97km) to the north-east. It has destroyed at least 87