Firefighters worked for hours to extinguish a house fire fueled by strong winds on February 23, 2026. (Credit: Athens Clarke County Fire Department)
ATHENS, Ga. - Strong winds fueled an Athens house fire, which spread and sparked secondary fires on neighboring structures Monday afternoon, fire officials said.
What we know:
Crews responded to a two-story home on Rhodes Drive around 2:14 p.m. and reported seeing heavy flames burning the back of the home.
Firefighters attacked the flames from inside the home, but conditions worsened, and strong northwest winds caused several smaller fires at nearby properties.
Fire crews brought the fires under control after several hours of coordinated extinguishing efforts.
An excavator was also brought in to help extinguish hot spots to prevent rekindling.
Two residents were displaced and taken to the Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center with minor burns. No firefighters were injured.
What we don't know:
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department.