FEMA authorized federal funds to reimburse costs to Georgia to fight the Pineland Road fire in Clinch and Echols Counties, and the Highway 82 fire burning in Brantley County.
On April 21, 2026, state of Georgia submitted requests for Fire Management Assistance Grants for both the Highway 82 Fire and the Pineland Road fire. At the time of the requests, the fires burned more than 11,085 acres of private land and threatened more than 1,050 homes, 50 businesses and community infrastructure.
FEMA Region 4 Acting Administrator Rob Ashe approved the state’s requests on April 21, as the fires threatened to become a major disaster.
These grants provide federal funding for up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs. The Disaster Relief Fund provides allowances for Fire Management Assistance Grants through FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause major disasters. Eligible costs can include expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization, and demobilization activities attributed to fighting the fire.
A federal Incident Management Team (IMT) is also being called up to assist with response.
Currently, all relevant state agencies are assisting with ongoing response efforts, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is providing three helicopters with fire suppression capabilities; a D6 Dozer and operator for debris removal; two Type 2 Water Engines and four team members; and ten Game Wardens to assist with evacuations, GFC investigations, and clearing burned structures and debris. The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) is providing three helicopters to support wildfire response efforts. Additionally, the Georgia Department of Agriculture is assisting with livestock relocation in impacted areas.
A live-time map of the active fires and response can be found here.
