A fast-moving blaze that has destroyed homes and forced evacuations in Georgia was sparked by what is perhaps a surprising source: a wayward balloon that hit an electrical line, wildfire investigators believe.
The Highway 82 fire in Brantley County started on April 20 and has grown to 7,567 acres with about 10% contained as of April 25, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission. Another major fire in the state, the Pineland Road Fire, has burned an estimated 31,976 acres since April 18 and is 10% contained near Fargo, Georgia.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said April 24 that an investigation has determined a balloon likely caused the Highway 82 fire. The metallic balloon, like one you would see at a kid's party, landed on a power line, causing a spark that caught the ground on fire, Kemp and Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo said during a news conference.
A balloon might sound like an unlikely source, but there are an "infinite" number of ways people can accidentally start fires, especially amid the record drought conditions ongoing in the Southeast, said Joseph Roise, a professor in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University.
"It's hard to eliminate all the different possible ways a fire can start. But in this condition, a little spark can make a fire get started," Roise told USA TODAY.
