Windy conditions are expected to pick up in North Georgia this weekend, an ominous development that could cause the massive forest fires to spread there.
Temperatures will drop into the 50s Saturday with northwest winds that could gust as high as 29 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
“That’s obviously a concern for us,” said Tom Stokesberry, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
On Saturday, emergency officials called on more North Georgia residents to "pre-evacuate," meaning they should gather what they need to bring with them so they are not scrambling at the last moment, in case they are required to leave.
Officials are also urging residents to create 100-foot "defensible spaces" around their homes. Translation: they should clear dead leaves, fallen tree branches and other flammable debris around their houses and properly label and store any excess fuel in safe places.
The Rock Mountain fire had grown by about 800 acres to a total of 9,382 acres and was on both sides of the Georgia-North Carolina border Friday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
"Right now it's in the wilderness and it's in an area that is hard for us to access," Stokesberry said. "It's burning really well up there. And we just have not found an opportune time that is going to be safe for the firefighters to get out in front of it. But it is kind of going the direction we wanted it to go, which is away from structures and the public."
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