Virtually all of the brush fires that started Tuesday afternoon and ripped through about 55 acres in Floyd County are under control, the Georgia Forestry Commission said Wednesday afternoon.
Fires that were still smoldering just before 12:30 p.m. have been contained or extinguished.
"The threat level is still very high for fire," Rome-Floyd County Fire Marshal Johnie Evans said.
“We will probably be there for the remainder of the day,” Georgia Forestry Commission spokeswoman Wendy Burnett said.
Flames broke out about 3 p.m. Tuesday along U.S. 27 and Cave Spring Road, and they continued along Booger Hollow Road overnight. Booger Hollow Road was shut down.
Road closures initially prevented nearly two dozen students from getting home in Floyd County. The students were eventually re-routed to Pepperell High School, Floyd County Schools said.
The fires, among a dozen that broke out Tuesday in North Georgia, damaged two homes, caused evacuations and destroyed a garage with four classic cars, officials said.
A firefighter was taken to the hospital and later released, Evans said. He is expected to return to work Friday.
Officials have not ruled out the probability the fires were deliberately set, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The cause and nature of the fires are still under investigation, Burnett said.
She reminded residents that conditions are so dry anything they do to create an open flame can lead to a wildfire that spreads “extremely fast.”
North Georgia is in the middle of a drought. Floyd County is in an “exceptional” drought category, the most severe drought designation, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
