GA: Rough Ridge Fire At 21,000 Acres And Growing; Other Fires Spread W. No Rain In Sight

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Historically dry conditions put metro Atlanta at risk in the event of local outdoor fires. Rain, while desperately needed, is not expected anytime soon, Channel 2 Action News reported. Local fire officials said dry conditions mean even when brush fires are quickly capped — like the one that burned four to five acres in Cobb and Bartow counties overnight — they are more likely to restart.

Authorities took roughly 175 calls about wildfires from Friday to Monday, Georgia Forestry Commission spokeswoman Wendy Burnett said. It was not immediately clear how many of those wildfires were still active by Tuesday.

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The Rough Ridge fire has burned through about 21,000 acres in the Cohutta Wilderness area of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Fannin County. It has been increasing by a few thousand acres every day, said Susie Heisey, a spokeswoman with the Southern Area Gold Team, a group helping the U.S. Forest Service get the fire under control. “We’re expecting it to continue to grow as the fire meets our containment line,” she added. She said crews are hoping the blaze will stop expanding so quickly after a couple of days.

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Meanwhile, a fire at Rock Mountain in Rabun County has affected about 6,747 acres, the forestry commission said Tuesday. The blaze, about 10 miles north of Clayton in northeast Georgia, was 10 percent contained. About 160 firefighters were involved in efforts to fight the flames.

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http://www.ajc.com/news/local/metro-counties-assist-north-georgia-wildfires-continue-spread/zuyOEk5NJL0lQMhRk1s60O/