Brantley County residents return home as Highway 110 West reopens amid wildfire threat

BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - People forced to leave everything behind are now heading back home in places that are deemed safe for now.

Highway 110 West reopened days after families living along the busy roadway were forced to leave everything behind.

“It’s always challenging to see residents coming back home with I think a sense of relief if their house is there and of course, a sense of loss if their house is not,” said Karen Miranda-Gleason, public information officer for the Incident Management Team.

The Incident Management Team led media through the reopened road. Although no significant damage to homes was visible on the path allowed Tuesday, the team confirmed several homes are damaged nearby.

“We’re here to do a job and that’s what we’re focused on but of course we do have in our hearts a lot of empathy for the residents,” Miranda-Gleason said.

Residents may face second evacuation

Despite the reopening, crews continue to monitor the situation and residents might have to evacuate again.

“The swamps, areas that are normally wet during this time of year are pretty dried out so that continued drought that’s been going on has hampered some of the suppression efforts,” said Drew Mickolay, public information officer for the Incident Management Team.

The area is part of the active fire zone.

“If it does flare up, if the wind shifts in this direction then the residents will be asked to leave again,” Miranda-Gleason said.

More than 440 wildland firefighters, structure management teams, and additional crews will be out Wednesday to ensure safety for the neighborhood and others throughout the county.

“We’re here to help the public and hopefully get things back to normal as soon as possible,” Mickolay said.

“It’s a tragic situation but I’m impressed at how the community here is pulling together and really helping each other,” Miranda-Gleason said.