Smoke billows from the woods near the Frogtown community on Thursday, May 30. White County Fire Capt. Terry Sosebee captured this image while using a drone for reconnaissance.
Firefighters from multiple agencies spent several hours Thursday putting out a wildfire that consumed approximately 10 acres of land near the White-Lumpkin County line.
Around 4 p.m. on May 30, White County 911 received a report of a brush fire with potential exposures at 230 Forbes Drive off of Paradise Valley Road. Several other callers reported a large wildfire in the Frogtown community.
White County Fire Stations 6 and 5, with mutual aid from Cleveland City Fire and the Lee Arrendale Fire Brigade, along with automatic aid from Lumpkin County Fire, responded to the incident. The Georgia Forestry Commission and the White County EMA Community Emergency Response (CERT) Rehab Team responded to assist. It took firefighters about two hours to get the fire under control. The last unit cleared the scene at 7:20 p.m., according to a press release from White County Public Safety Director David Murphy.
Murphy says the fire is a reminder about the dangers of outdoor burning.
“While this fire remains under investigation and unknown cause currently exists, it is a reminder to all persons burning debris, leaves, etc., you must obtain a burn permit from the Georgia Forestry Commission,” he says. “White County is considered under dry conditions and all precautions should be taken to prevent fires from getting out of control.”
