A wildfire burned 1,500 acres in Brantley County on Tuesday night and was still zero percent contained as families were forced out of their homes and into shelters and church fellowship halls.
At Twin Rivers Baptist Church, the response was immediate. Pastor Rusty Bryan said the church used a phone tree to reach its members, and people came quickly with spaghetti, garlic bread and dessert for residents displaced by the fire. Bryan said the day had been devastating and hard.
The effort came as evacuations were underway at Atkinson Elementary and Waynesville Primary, with four evacuation shelters available for Brantley County residents Tuesday night, including the Brantley County Library. Claudia Waldron said the community decided it needed to act as the evacuation messages started rolling in, adding that this is what the community does: it gives back and helps each other.
There was a deeper pain behind the meals and shelter. Bryan said several of his students lost their homes in the fire, and boys from his baseball team spent Tuesday night at his house. Waldron said she was hoping and praying that the students were okay, and that some of her kids were safe and knew the community loved them and was there for them.
Brantley County Schools were closed Wednesday out of an abundance of caution, and county officials planned a news conference Wednesday at noon to give an update on the fire's status. For now, the answer is plain: Nahunta and the rest of Brantley County are being held together by whatever the community can gather, serve and open up before the next round of news comes in.
