BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. – Some Brantley County residents finally made it home Tuesday after evacuation orders were lifted for the Highway 110 West area — but for many, the relief came wrapped in heartbreak.
Tanya Lloyd returned home with her dog, Wango, after a week away. She said the experience wore on her in ways she didn’t expect.
“It’s been very emotional. Physically, mentally, I mean, it’s just a lot, it’s a lot going on, it’s just, it’s sad. It’s devastating,” Lloyd said.
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Lloyd’s home survived the fire. But she said knowing others weren’t as fortunate made going home a bittersweet moment.
“I’m thankful that we have one to go home to, but I’m also, you know, upset about the ones that don’t have anywhere to go. And it’s just heartbreaking,” she said.
She said patients and friends of hers lost their homes in the blaze. So far, 82 homes were destroyed, 17 sustained damage, and four commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed.
The Highway 82 Fire burned just under 23,000 acres and stood at 32% containment as of Tuesday afternoon. Fire officials warned the danger was far from over. Winds were forecast for Wednesday, which officials expected to make it an active fire day.
Josh Graham, Incident Commander with Southern Area Complex Incident Management Team 1, said the fire would be burning for some time.
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“This is a long duration fire,” Graham said. “There’s gonna be smoke in the area for a long time. It’s burning deep into those bogs and those swamps. And until we get,I think Johnny quoted four inches of rain, that’s not gonna change unfortunately.”
Graham said protecting people remained the top priority above all else.
“Our priorities are life and property. There’s a lot of really good work going on, saving a lot of homes, but we’re not going to compromise the lives of firefighters to save a house. We’re just not going to do it,” he said.
Residents returning to the Hwy 110 west area were required to pick up a special placard before heading home.
Placards were available at two locations from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with no limit per home: Satilla Grocery at Hwy 259, and the open lot on the west side of Hwy 301 at Hwy 32.
Residents were asked to show proof of residence, follow all road closures and barricades, keep children under 18 with an adult, and remain ready to evacuate again if conditions changed.