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Officials detail Brantley County wildfire response; Camden credits mutual aid and volunteer support
Summary
In a presentation to the Camden County Board of Commissioners, officials said roughly 22,500 acres burned in the Brantley County wildfire, at least 112 homes were destroyed, and coordination with state and local partners, volunteers and VOAD organizations was central to response and recovery.
Chuck White, speaking to the Camden County Board of Commissioners, described the Brantley County wildfire as one of the most complex incidents in Georgia’s recent history: roughly 22,500 acres burned (about 35 square miles), some 112 homes were destroyed and more than 30 houses sustained damage. At the time of the presentation the incident was roughly 85% contained.
White credited early engagement, unified command and multi‑agency mutual aid for preventing worse outcomes in Camden County. He said Camden County deployed resources beginning April 21, coordinated with neighboring fire departments and used staging areas — including a local airport — for air operations. White described a “hot handoff” from local unified command to state and federal incident management teams and emphasized the value of established mutual aid agreements that clarify liability and reimbursement.
White outlined recovery and assistance efforts: a standing immediate‑needs recovery unit, multi‑agency resource information centers at Atkinson Elementary School, coordination with the Red Cross and Salvation Army, faith‑based volunteer hubs that provided shelter and distribution, and a chainsaw/debris strike team in development. He said one distribution site served more than 135 people and that feeding operations supported hundreds of first responders.
Commissioners asked about continued containment, the role of local airports and how Camden can institutionalize lessons learned. White said Camden will convert some volunteer functions into more formal CERT‑style teams and expects an after‑action report to capture operational lessons and improve readiness.
The presentation framed these events as a prompt for regional planning rather than a one‑off response: "Disasters do not care about jurisdictional boundaries," White told the board, urging continued partnership and investment in preparedness.
The board did not take an action vote on the presentation itself but used the briefing as context for approving related items later in the meeting, including a discounted landfill rate to accept Brantley County fire debris.
