Grandmother evacuates 7 kids to safety after power lines spark wildfire in Pickens County
Fast moving storms and strong winds caused havoc in Pickens County overnight, bringing down power lines and sparking some wildfires.
A handful of residents were evacuated along East Price Creek and Mountain Crest Drive Tuesday night after downed trees caused a power line to catch fire.
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Grandmother to seven and mother Sharon Morris told Channel 2′s Brittany Kleinpeter that she and her son jumped into action when they saw the flames just feet from their neighboring homes.
'My bedroom all of the sudden completely lit up, and we were putting small little fires that were creeping up,' said Morris.
Other residents like Peggy Paris were focused on getting their animals to safety.
'My husband was hooking up one trailer, and I was hooking up another to load the horses,' explained Paris.
Pickens County firefighters responded to put the fire out, and the evacuation order was lifted around 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
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Many residents in the area say they're thankful for the quick action of first responders.
'Just thank you, Lord, for taking care of us last night,' said Paris.
Officials with the Georgia Forestry Commission shared with us that due to bone dry conditions and gusting winds, firefighters have been running very busy in recent days.
Although the storms have moved out of North Georgia, a wind advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m. for the entire region, with gusts expected to reach up to 40 mph.
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