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Why the American Southeast is becoming a new hotspot for wildfires

“Weather whiplash” is fueling blazes across Florida and the region.

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Drought and fire are a dangerous duo. The Southeastern United States is witnessing this firsthand, as several major blazes have burned tens of thousands of acres across the parched region, destroying homes and prompting evacuations in some areas. Florida and Georgia have been particularly hard hit, and strong winds and unusually low humidity have made it difficult to combat the flames.

With much of the Southeast in a long-standing drought since July 2025, dried-out vegetation has provided ample fuel for wildfires to spread the minute they spark. That can even be something as small as a balloon hitting a power line, which is likely what ignited one of the largest fires that tore through Georgia late last month, officials said.

Climate disasters will happen everywhere, anytime

Typically, forest managers ignite planned, controlled fires — known as prescribed burns — earlier in the season to clear this brittle brush. But this technique was on hold in certain areas amid the drought over concerns that small burns could quickly get out of control. Among this dried-out vegetation are the felled trees and branches left behind by Hurricane Helene in 2024, showing the lingering and compounding........

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