Florida Proposal

Wildfires burning across the southeastern U.S. were intensifying Wednesday after destroying nearly 50 homes in Georgia and forcing evacuations and school closures in some communities.

Some of the biggest blazes were along Georgia’s coast and between and around Jacksonville, Florida, a state that is facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades. It was not yet clear how the wildfires started, but a long drought, low humidity and strong winds were fueling them.

Georgia’s two biggest wildfires together have burned more than 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), and at least four other smaller fires have been reported in the state. The area of the state where the worst fires were burning is in exceptional or extreme drought, the most dire levels, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

In southeast Georgia, the fast-moving Brantley County fire was threatening more homes Wednesday after destroying 47 a day earlier, according to Joey Cason, the county manager.