Two large wildfires are still burning in south Georgia: the Pineland Road Fire in Clinch and Echols Counties at 32,575 acres, and the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County at 22,420 acres. When the wind turns north, smoke from both reaches the Atlanta metro within hours. The live map above shows where that smoke is right now. The rest of this page is what we’d tell our own families about keeping it outside the house.
The live map at the top of this page is updated continuously and shows active Georgia fire perimeters alongside the PM2.5 smoke plume. AirNow and NASA FIRMS are reliable second sources.
A MERV 13 HVAC filter is the EPA Indoor AirPlus program’s recommended residential minimum for wildfire smoke protection. Pair it with a true HEPA portable cleaner in any bedroom where someone has asthma, COPD, or heart disease.
Close windows and exterior doors, upgrade to a MERV 13 filter, set the HVAC fan to On, close the fresh-air intake damper, run a HEPA in the most-used room, and skip candles, gas stoves, and fireplaces while smoke is heavy outside.
Yes. PM2.5 in wildfire smoke is small enough to infiltrate homes through HVAC systems and gaps around windows and doors. Upgraded filtration paired with a sealed envelope brings indoor concentrations down substantially.
Two large fires are still active in south Georgia: the Pineland Road Fire in Clinch and Echols Counties, and the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County.
Wildfire smoke is mostly PM2.5, which is fine enough to slip past standard MERV 8 filters and infiltrate the inside of your house through HVAC ductwork and small gaps.
EPA’s Indoor AirPlus program names MERV 13 as the residential minimum filter rating during a wildfire smoke event.
A true HEPA portable cleaner captures 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns and bigger, and works best as a second line of defense alongside an upgraded HVAC filter.
Many Georgia homeowners' policies cover smoke damage, but coverage varies. Document what happens and call your carrier early.
Wildfire smoke seasons in the Southeast aren’t going away. The filter upgrade you make now will earn its keep across many seasons ahead.
Both fires started from human causes. A spark from a welding project ignited Pineland Road. Containment on Pineland Road now sits at 66%, and Highway 82 is at 90% per the latest Georgia Forestry Commission report. Governor Kemp declared a state of emergency on April 22, 2026, and FEMA approved Fire Management Assistance Grants for both responses. Crews are finishing patrol and suppression repair work, but neither fire is fully out. Drought is the reason. South Georgia is still dry enough that one careless ember can start the cycle over.
Wildfire smoke is mostly PM2.5. That’s particulate matter so fine it slips around HVAC ductwork and past window screens, then settles in your lungs. For background on how fire behaves and how smoke moves through the atmosphere, the Wikipedia article on wildfire is a useful primer. What matters in Georgia right now is more direct. Smoke from south Georgia reaches Atlanta whenever the wind turns north, and that has already happened more than once during this event. For the live AQI at your specific address, our live Georgia AQI map by city and county runs alongside the fire and smoke map at the top of this page.
EPA’s Indoor AirPlus program names MERV 13 as the practical minimum filter rating for wildfire smoke protection in a residential HVAC system. After manufacturing filters for over a decade, we see the same pattern every fire season. Homeowners running MERV 8 notice the HVAC working overtime while the indoor air still smells like a campfire, because MERV 8 was never built to catch the fine PM2.5 droplets that make wildfire smoke what it is. MERV 13 catches a meaningful share of those droplets. MERV 16 catches more, though most residential blowers can’t push air through a MERV 16 without straining the system. Check your system specs or call a local HVAC technician before going above MERV 13.
True HEPA cleaners pull 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns and bigger out of whatever room they’re running in. Think of them as the second line of defense behind your HVAC filter, not a replacement for it. They earn their keep in bedrooms where kids sleep, or someone in the family lives with asthma, COPD, or heart trouble. Size the unit to the room using the CADR rating printed on the box.
Close windows and exterior doors when the smoke is heavy outside. Flip your HVAC thermostat fan from Auto to On so the upgraded filter keeps cleaning the air even when the system isn’t actively heating or cooling. Close any fresh-air intake damper on the return. Hold off on candles, the fireplace, and gas-stove cooking on high while the air is bad. Pick one room as your clean room (a bedroom usually works best), run the portable HEPA in there, and treat it as the safe-air space for anyone in the family who needs it most.
Most standard Georgia homeowners' policies cover smoke damage from a wildfire, though the specifics depend on your carrier. If smoke gets into your house, document what happened. That means dated photos, HVAC service records, the filters you replaced, and any cleaning receipts. Call your insurer while the event is happening, not after. We aren’t insurance professionals and won’t pretend to be. Read your policy. Talk to your agent. They know what your coverage actually includes.
Every fire season, we take the same call from a Filterbuy customer. They’ve had the HVAC fan on continuously for two weeks, and the air inside still smells like a campfire. That’s almost always a filter problem, not a fan problem. MERV 8 was never built to catch PM2.5 particles. If your system can handle a MERV 13, switch to one, check it every two weeks while smoke is in the air, and put a HEPA unit in any bedroom where someone has asthma or heart trouble. People feel the change the same day they make it.
— Filterbuy Team
These are the sources we check ourselves during a Georgia smoke event. All seven were live and current when we built this page.
EPA and U.S. Forest Service partner site. Real-time PM2.5 readings layered with active fire perimeters and smoke plumes. The fastest single-screen check during a smoke event.
Source: https://fire.airnow.gov/
Daily situation updates from the state agency leading wildfire response in Georgia. Includes current acreage and containment figures for Pineland Road and Highway 82.
Source: https://gatrees.org/current-wildfire-information-and-resources/
Federal wildfire activity dashboard with preparedness levels, new fire counts, and large uncontained fires nationwide. Helpful for placing the Georgia situation inside the national picture and seeing how response resources are being moved around.
Source: https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn
Satellite-derived fire detections from MODIS and VIIRS sensors, refreshed multiple times daily. Gives you independent fire-location confirmation from space, separate from any ground-reported data.
Source: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/map/
CDC public-health guidance for wildfire smoke events. Includes specific protections for children, pregnant individuals, older adults, and people living with chronic conditions.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/wildfires/safety/how-to-safely-stay-safe-during-a-wildfire.html
EPA guidance on indoor air protection during wildfire smoke. This is the page that names MERV 13 as the residential minimum and walks through envelope-sealing and HVAC operating settings room by room.
Source: https://www.epa.gov/indoorairplus/indoor-airplus-and-wildfires
The Georgia Department of Public Health issued an advisory for the current wildfire event. Specific precautions for people with respiratory conditions, young children, pregnant individuals, and older adults.
Source: https://dph.georgia.gov/press-releases/2026-04-22/smoke-wildfires-spreads-georgia
Three numbers that explain why this isn’t only a Georgia problem and why this won’t be the last fire season we plan around.
Wildfires now account for roughly 25% of all PM2.5 concentrations in U.S. air, and at least one wildfire smoke day reaches an estimated 95% of the U.S. population every year. That means almost everyone, almost every year.
Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11962561/
USDA Forest Service tracking shows the Southern Region went from 23 large fires burning 18,000 acres at this point in 2023 to 28 large fires burning 41,000 acres at the same point in 2024. The Southern Area entered Preparedness Level 4 in March 2025, which is the second-highest national level for wildland fire activity.
Researchers estimate destructive wildfires could rise by up to 57% by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions stay unchecked. For Georgia and the Southeast, that means more smoke seasons ahead, not fewer.
Source: https://community.aafa.org/blog/climate-change-the-effect-on-people-with-allergies-and-asthma
Air quality is the kind of thing most homeowners never think about until they have to. Between South Georgia and Atlanta this week, a lot of households are thinking about it. The reassuring part is that the moves that matter most are things any homeowner can finish on a Saturday afternoon without a contractor: a MERV 13 in the HVAC, the fan flipped to On, the windows kept shut while smoke is heavy, and a HEPA cleaner running in the bedroom where someone needs it. None of that is complicated. It just has to actually happen, and you’re the one who decides whether it does.
Check the live map above a few times a day while smoke is in the air. It’s the fastest way to see which direction the plume is heading.
Turn on AirNow’s AQI alerts on your phone so it tells you what the air looks like before you open the door.
Swap your HVAC filter for a MERV 13 if your system can take one, and inspect it every two weeks during smoke season instead of every quarter.
Put a true HEPA portable cleaner in the bedroom of anyone in the family who has asthma, COPD, heart disease, or another chronic respiratory condition.
Yes. As of the most recent Georgia Forestry Commission update, the Pineland Road Fire in Clinch and Echols Counties and the Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County are both active, with daily containment improvements.
The live map at the top of this page is the fastest way to check. EPA’s AirNow Fire and Smoke Map and NASA’s FIRMS US and Canada map are both solid second sources.
It depends on the day and the wind. Shifting winds have pushed south Georgia smoke into the Atlanta metro more than once during this event. Check the live AQI for the current reading at your address.
MERV 13 is the practical minimum recommended by the EPA Indoor AirPlus program for residential HVAC systems during wildfire smoke. Higher works if your system supports it.
Yes. True HEPA filters capture 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns, which covers the bulk of PM2.5 in wildfire smoke. They work best paired with an upgraded HVAC filter.
Close windows and exterior doors, set the HVAC fan to On with a MERV 13 filter installed, close any fresh-air intake on the system, run a portable HEPA in the most-used room, and skip candles, gas stoves, and fireplaces while smoke is heavy outside.
More often than your normal schedule. Inspect every two weeks rather than every quarter during heavy smoke, and replace the filter when it darkens or when pressure-drop indicators flag.
Many standard policies do, though coverage varies by carrier. Call your insurer early, document smoke intrusion with dated photos and service records, and ask what your specific policy includes.
For the current event, the active fires in Clinch, Echols, and Brantley Counties are the main source. Smoke from larger wildfires in other states can also reach Georgia when winds align.
Stay indoors with windows closed, run a MERV 13 filter on the HVAC, run a HEPA air cleaner in the bedroom, follow the asthma or COPD action plan your physician gave you, and skip outdoor exercise until the AQI returns to a healthy range.
Pull your HVAC filter out and look at the date on it. If it has been in there longer than three months, or if it’s a MERV 8, switch to a MERV 13 before the next plume reaches your block. Filterbuy makes MERV 13 filters in every standard residential size, plus custom dimensions, and we ship to Georgia. Change your filter. Little effort, big impact on the air your family is breathing.
