According to officials with Walton County Fire Rescue, reports of smoke in the air have had firefighters responding to several calls today.
“There are several large brush fires in the north Georgia mountains. The smoke is traveling with the wind and covering much of Walton county. We are getting multiple calls on “smoke in the area” due to this,” said Capt. Jeff Allen with Walton County Fire Rescue. “Its everywhere. They’re getting reports in Conyers and Covington too.”
Allen said it is possible that a large fire this morning in Barrow County exasperated the problem. Buildings, vehicles and thousands of pallets on fire at a manufacturing plant had Broad Street and Atlanta Highway in Statham closed as firefighters battled the blaze, according to Barrow County Emergency Services.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services also reported numerous calls were received about the smoke and haze over the area.
“We are trying to determine the source of a smoke haze across the county and surrounding area. There are no active fire in Gwinnett at this time,” said Capt. Tommy Rutledge with GCFES. “It is possible that it is due to smoke drifts based on atmospheric conditions. The sizable fires burning in North Georgia and surrounding areas could certainly be a contributing factor. I have received a number of calls from across the county reporting a haze of smoke. Fire crews are checking each report for any validity of an active fire.”
Allen said it is straining resources at WCFR as well.
“There is nothing we can do to alleviate the situation. This smoke is mostly traveling south from the mountains,” Allen said.