The area’s continuing drought conditions have meant extra time in the field for Ware County Fire and Rescue crews with their hands full in the first months of 2026.
Another large fire called them out last week to Clough Bay Road. Ware County Fire Chief Dee Meadows said the incident is still under investigation, with no definitive cause released yet. The fire burned 105 acres, though no structures were lost and no injuries were reported. Georgia Forestry and the City of Waycross assisted in suppression.
Chief Meadows said they were able to get control of the situation “quickly,” but still urged citizens to refrain from any kind of burning.
These drought conditions are ongoing partly as a result of the current La Niña weather pattern. Conditions are expected to shift more towards the wetter El Niño, though the summer is projected to have ENSO-neutral weather, per a statement from the U.S. Climate Prediction Center to Reuters.
