Fire burns five acres of beach on Tybee Island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. - Multiple acres of beach on Tybee Island were damaged after a fire spread down the shoreline Wednesday afternoon.

What we know:

The Tybee Island Police Department said officers and firefighters responded around 3 p.m. to North Beach after reports of a trash can fire. When they arrived, firefighters found about three acres of beach already burning, with large flames and heavy smoke.

Crews began working along Gulick Street to contain the fire to the beach. After controlling it there, they tried to prevent it from spreading, but strong winds pushed the flames north.

Firefighters moved up the beach to the wooden crossover to keep it from burning. Eventually, they were able to move into the dunes and stop the fire.

In total, firefighters said five acres were burned before the blaze was fully extinguished.

No injuries or structural damage were reported. The fire department said it used about 1,800 feet of hose to put out the fire.

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet released the cause.