Raging wildfires became a global issue in 2020, impacting countries like Australia, Indonesia and Brazil, and again hitting the western United States. They were some of the worst wildfires in decades for some nations, reminding many Georgia firefighters of the 2016 blazes that tore through the northern part of this state and left an indelible mark on them and the area. Some clearly remember the air, full of thick, black smoke, as the flames made their way across the vast mountain landscape. Sadly, it wasn’t a rare sight.
“In 2016, it was so easy for one little ember to just float across your line and just ignite on the other side,” Darryl Jackson recalled.
Jackson, who has been with the Georgia Forestry Commission for 19 years, vividly remembers having one thing in mind as he battled a blaze on Lookout Mountain four years ago.
“I was just praying for rain,” he said.