Manditory evacuations issued in Rabun County due to wildfires

A mandatory evacuation was issued late Friday afternoon for some Rabun County residents as firefighters battle a massive wildfire.

The U.S. Forest Service issued the order for residents living along or near Coleman River Road and Nichols Branch Road. All residents are being asked to leave immediately and not return until an “all clear” has been issued.

A shelter has been opened Liberty Baptist Church for displaced residents.

FOX 5 News got a look at this massive fire near Tallulah River Road on Thursday. It was one of two the county has fighting which has already burned hundreds of acres.

Fire investigators believe the fires may have been intentionally set. They would be two of 20 different fires across the Southeast which may have been the work of an arsonist.

More than 5,000 firefighters and support staff from around the nation are trying to suppress the fires in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina.