Gov. Kemp addresses wildfires; GSP Troopers fired; GA Supreme Court to hear Biolab case

Summary

Georgia Today – April 22, 2026
Host: Peter Biello | Georgia Public Broadcasting

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on urgent and evolving news in Georgia:

• Destructive wildfires in South Georgia, state emergency actions, and worsening air quality
• The firing of Georgia State Patrol troopers involved in unethical insurance activities
• A major Georgia Supreme Court case about medical monitoring after the 2024 Biolab chemical fire
• The passing of Congressman David Scott
• Key updates in politics, voter confidence, local development, technology, and sports

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. South Georgia Wildfires: Emergency Response and Public Impact

State Emergency & Burn Ban

• Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency as wildfires escalate in middle and south Georgia, fueled by drought and dry weather ([01:13]).
• The state is deploying all available resources, sharing firefighting equipment with neighboring states, and has requested federal assistance ([01:22], [01:47]).
• A mandatory 30-day burn ban is now in place across 91 counties—the first of its kind by the Georgia Forestry Commission ([01:54], [02:00]):

  “98% of the state is in moderate to exceptional drought conditions and April wildfires are above Georgia's five year average.” – Devin Zwald ([02:04])

Local Impact

• Brantley County wildfire has destroyed about 50 homes; only 10% contained as of this episode ([02:30], [02:36]).
• 800 evacuations, 5 emergency shelters opened, and major highways closed ([02:56], [03:04]).
• Pineland Road Fire in Clinch County has burned 17,000 acres (26 sq. mi.)—again, less than 10% contained ([03:16], [03:23]).

Firefighting Challenges

• Drought has dried up streams, swamps, and bays that would typically slow fires ([03:37]):

  “The real issue is, is the drought where... streams that would this time of year normally have water. They don’t because they’ve been without any significant rainfall in a while.” – Seth Hawkins, Georgia Forestry Commission ([03:37])

Health Concerns: Smoke & Air Quality

• Smoke has affected regions as far as Atlanta and Savannah ([04:07]).
• Air quality is now “unhealthy” across central Georgia per EPA ([04:15]).
• Pulmonologist Dr. Shanti Akers offers guidance:

  “Patients who have asthma, COPD... chronic heart conditions... and along with patients who are pregnant, they should be much more mindful about these guidance.” ([04:33]) “Akers advises staying indoors using widely available HEPA level filters and HVAC systems. If you have to be outside, wearing an N95 filter mask is a good idea.” ([04:45])

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2. Georgia State Patrol Troopers Fired for Fraudulent Insurance Claims

• Three troopers and a supervisor fired after being found to have sought payouts from insurance companies by filing personal injury claims after chases ([05:06]).
• Internal investigation revealed crash reports were directed to a specific attorney who would then file claims, netting settlements for troopers ([05:35]).

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3. Biolab Chemical Spill: Medical Monitoring Lawsuit Reaches State Supreme Court

• The Georgia Supreme Court is considering whether residents exposed to toxic chemicals can require a company (Biolab) to pay for medical monitoring before symptoms appear ([05:46]).
• The case stems from the 2024 Biolab fire that released chemicals over Rockdale County and metro Atlanta ([06:04]).
• Legal context explained by UGA law professor Elizabeth Burch:

  “When there are questions that are unclear that are coming to the federal courts... by certifying it to the Georgia Supreme Court, they're saying, look, we don't know the answer to this. How would Georgia decide a question of this matter?” ([06:13])

• Biolab attorneys argue current Georgia law requires a present physical injury to demand monitoring ([06:34]).
• Plaintiffs argue the need for monitoring itself is a form of harm; ruling expected in the coming months ([06:40], [06:54]).

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4. Additional Updates

Passing of Congressman David Scott

• Veteran Atlanta-area Democrat David Scott, former House Agriculture Committee chair, has died at 80 ([06:54]).
  • Kemp: “stalwart supporter of Georgia agriculture.”
  • Mayor Dickens: “tireless advocate for the people he served.”

Gubernatorial Candidates Court Manufacturers ([07:14])

• Both major parties addressed the Georgia Association of Manufacturing forum ([07:14]).
• Democrat Mike Thurman:

  “White collar, blue collar, no collar, not the color of the collar, but the green and the dollar.” ([07:38])

• Republican AG Chris Carr highlighted the role of tax incentives ([07:55]).

Postal Workers Union Campaigns for Mail-in Voting Confidence ([08:34])

• New ad campaign addresses public confidence in voting by mail, following post-2020 election skepticism ([08:36]).
• Georgia Postal Union President Charles Broughton:

  “College students, senior citizens, firemen, flight attendants and men of the military. There's all kinds of jobs that affect voting by mail, but they can't get from their regular job to just going to the poll.” ([09:12])

• May 8 is the deadline to request absentee ballots ([09:25]).

Local Development and Tech Initiatives

• Augusta: $1.7 million project begins to turn a lot into a public plaza, as part of downtown revitalization ([09:33]).
• Google: New data center announced for LaGrange (west Georgia), with commitments to energy infrastructure and conservation ([09:50]).

Sports

• Atlanta Braves’ six-game winning streak ends with an 11–4 loss to the Nationals. Rookie Didier Fuentes scheduled to start next game ([10:10]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don’t need to be building a campfire. Don’t do it.” – Seth Hawkins, Georgia Forestry Commission ([01:28])
• “We're doing a lot of fire break installation... water dumps all day... that doesn’t necessarily put the fire out. It just slows the fire down so that our people on the ground can get a little bit of a head start.” – Don Thomas, Forestry Commission ([02:42])
• “Akers advises staying indoors... If you have to be outside, Achers says wearing an N95 filter mask is a good idea.” – Dr. Shanti Akers ([04:45])
• “My favorite slogan is white collar, blue collar, no collar, not the color of the collar, but the green and the dollar.” – Mike Thurman ([07:38])
• “There's all kinds of jobs that affect voting by mail... they can't get from their regular job to just going to the poll.” – Charles Broughton ([09:12])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:13] – Governor Kemp’s emergency declaration over wildfires
• [01:54] – 91 counties under burn ban, firefighter challenges
• [02:30] – Brantley County wildfire destruction, evacuations
• [03:16] – Clinch County wildfire update
• [04:07] – Smoke, air quality warnings, health recommendations
• [05:06] – State troopers fired for insurance fraud
• [05:46] – Biolab case before Georgia Supreme Court, legal implications
• [06:54] – Congressman David Scott's death
• [07:14] – Gubernatorial candidates on manufacturing/jobs
• [08:34] – Postal union’s voting campaign
• [09:33] – Augusta development project
• [09:50] – Google builds new data center in West Georgia
• [10:10] – Atlanta Braves game result

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This episode serves as a comprehensive, fast-paced roundup of pressing statewide issues—wildfires, political ethics, public health, and legal precedents—alongside lighter news in politics, community development, tech, and sports. The tone remains factual and briskly informative throughout, delivering actionable information for residents across Georgia.

Transcript

[GPB Announcer]

GPB belongs to Georgia and you are the center of everything we do. Become a GPB sustainer today or increase your monthly gift to fortify our work enriching Georgians of all ages. Visit gpb.org to donate today and thanks.

[Peter Biello]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode.

Wildfires in South Georgia prompt burn bans and worsen air quality.

Some Georgia state troopers are fired for

seeking payouts from drivers involved in chases. And can Biolab be forced to pay for medical monitoring after a chemical spill? The state's highest court will weigh in

[Elizabeth Burch]

when there are questions that are unclear that are coming to the federal courts. The federal courts want to make sure that they get it right. And so in this instance, by certifying it to the Georgia Supreme Court, they're saying, look, we don't know the answer to this. How would Georgia decide a question of this matter?

[Peter Biello]

Today is Wednesday, April 22nd. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today.

Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for middle and south Georgia as multiple wildfires burn. He says the state is using every resource at its disposal to contain the

fires, but the dry weather and ongoing drought is fueling them.

He he's urging Georgians to obey the burn ban.

[Seth Hawkins]

Well, so it's just the worst conditions you could possibly have right now to be fighting fires, which is why we just need the public to help us out. You don't need to be building a campfire. Don't do it.

[Peter Biello]

Other wildfires are burning in neighboring states,

and Kemp says Georgia is sharing firefighting equipment with them.

He's also requested help from the federal

government regarding that burn ban.

The Georgia Forestry Commission says it includes

91 counties in the lower half of the state.

GPB's Devin Zwald reports Wildland firefighters are

[Devin Zwald]

already battling wildfires in South Georgia's Clinch county and Brantley county, just west of Brunswick. The Forestry Commission calls this burn ban the first mandatory ban in the agency's history. According to their release, 98% of the state is in moderate to exceptional drought conditions and April wildfires are above Georgia's five year average. The ban will last 30 days and could be extended even further. For GPB News, I'm Devin Zwald.

[Peter Biello]

That fast moving wildfire in Brantley county has destroyed about 50 homes.

The commission's Seth Hawkins says with just

10% of the fire contained, it's unlikely it will slow down overnight, but fire crews are working on it.

[Don Thomas]

We're doing a lot of fire break installation. We've been doing water dumps all day, picking up in a lake and then dropping water. And that doesn't necessarily put the fire out. It just slows the fire down so that our people on the ground can get get a little bit of a head start.

[Peter Biello]

Authorities say at least 800 evacuations have

taken place in the county and five shelters have opened as the fire threatens about 300 more homes.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said the main highway between Nahunta and Brunswick was closed.

The fire prompted Brantley county school officials

to cancel classes, moving over to the

Clinch county fire, called the Pineland Road Fire.

Authorities say that massive blaze now has consumed close to 17,000 acres, or about

26 square miles of timberland. The fire is still only about 10% contained.

The forestry Commission's Don Thomas says the fire also burned through areas which should

have otherwise, under normal conditions, slowed down the wildfires.

[Seth Hawkins]

The real issue is, is the drought where there's been bays and swamps, for lack of a better way of putting it, streams that would this time of year normally have water. They don't because they've been without any a significant rainfall in a while.

[Peter Biello]

While there are no evacuation orders around

the Pineland fire yet, Thomas advises Clinch and Echols county residents to pay attention

to information from their local emergency management agencies. Smoke from the fires has drifted to

Atlanta, Savannah and across the region, while

residents in areas closer to the fires

were given health warnings. GPB's Grant Blankenship has that story.

[Grant Blankenship]

According to the EPA's airnow.gov website, the levels of particulates in a wide band across the center of Georgia are in the red zone. The agency designates unhealthy to breathe. Dr. Shanti Akers is a pulmonologist at Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany. She says people with chronic conditions need to be aware.

[Dr. Shanti Akers]

So you know patients who have asthma, copd, interstitial lung diseases, but also some chronic heart conditions. And along with patients who are pregnant, they should be much more mindful about these guidance.

[Grant Blankenship]

Akers advises staying indoors using widely available HEPA level filters and H VAC systems. And if you have to be outside, Achers says wearing an N95 filter mask is a good idea. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

[Peter Biello]

And for more on the South Georgia

wildfires, go to gpb.org news3 Georgia troopers

have been fired after an investigation found

they sought payouts from the insurance companies of drivers involved in chases claiming personal injuries. The Georgia Department of Public Safety said the actions of the three southeast Georgia based troopers and their supervisor violated department policy and ethical standards. The supervisor also was fired. The report from an internal investigation says that after using their vehicles to stop a chase, the troopers would send crash reports to a specific private attorney who would file a personal injury claim.

Then, according to investigators, the troopers would

receive money when an insurance company settled out of court. The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday

on a key question tied to the 2024 Biolab fire in Conyers.

The court is being asked to weigh

in on whether residents exposed to toxic

chemicals can force a company to pay for medical monitoring even if they aren't showing symptoms yet. The case stems from a class action lawsuit filed after the fire at Biolab's

Conyers facility, which sent a chemical plume across Rockdale county and metro Atlanta.

University of Georgia law professor Elizabeth Burch

says the question was then sent to

the state's highest court because federal judges weren't sure how Georgia law applies when

[Elizabeth Burch]

there are questions that are unclear that are coming to the federal courts. The federal courts want to make sure that they get it right. And so in this instance, by certifying it to the Georgia Supreme Court, they're saying, look, we don't know the answer to this. How would Georgia decide a question of this matter?

[Peter Biello]

Attorneys for Biolab argue Georgia law requires a present physical injury before a company

can be held responsible.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued residents shouldn't have to wait until they're sick and

that the need for medical monitoring is itself a form of harm. A ruling is expected in the coming months.

Metro Atlanta Congressman David Scott has died. The 80 year old democrat chaired the

House Agriculture Committee and was seeking his 13th term in Congress. Governor Brian Kemp called him a stalwart

supporter of Georgia agriculture.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called him a

tireless advocate for the people he served. Georgia gubernatorial candidates from both major parties

made their pitch to the manufacturing industry during a candidate forum hosted yesterday by the Georgia association of manufacturing. GPB's Sarah Kalis reports.

[Sarah Kalis]

Democrats and Republicans took turns telling Georgia's business community why they are the best person to work with the private sector to increase jobs and grow the workforce in the state. Mike Thurman vowed to encourage more students to consider learning trades.

[Mike Thurman]

My favorite slogan is white collar, blue collar, no collar, not the color of the collar, but the green and the dollar.

[Sarah Kalis]

Democratic candidates, including Jason Estevez, Jeff Duncan and Derek Jackson also participated. Republican candidate and Attorney General Chris Carr touted tax incentives.

[Seth Hawkins]

They bring jobs to this state, jobs that would not have existed.

[Sarah Kalis]

Other Republican candidates, including Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Rick Jackson also participated. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis in Atlanta.

[NPR Up First Announcer]

You know Every day on Up First, NPR's Golden Globe nominated morning news podcast. We bring you three essential stories. the heart of each story are questions what really happened? What really mattered? What happens next? At npr, we stand for your right to be curious and to follow the facts. Follow up first wherever you get your podcasts and start your day knowing what matters and why.

[Peter Biello]

The integrity of Georgia elections has been

questioned by President Donald Trump and others since 2020.

Now the Postal Workers Union wants to

restore voter confidence in voting by mail via the airwaves. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more.

[Amanda Andrews]

The American Postal Workers Union will begin airing television ads starting this week to promote casting your ballot via mail. The union commissioned a national survey of voters views on mail in ballots. It found out of around 1100 respondents, 62% were confident in the US Postal Service's ability to get ball where they need to go. Charles Broughton is president of the Georgia Postal Union. He says there's already a lot of people voting by mail in Georgia.

[Charles Broughton]

College students, senior citizens, firemen, flight attendants and men of the military. There's all kinds of jobs that affect voting by mail, but they can't get from their regular job to just going to the poll.

[Amanda Andrews]

May 8th is the deadline to request an absentee ballot for the primary election. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

[Peter Biello]

Construction has begun on a project to turn a gravel parking lot in downtown Augusta into a walkable plaza.

The $1.7 million effort in Jones Alley is made possible by federal grants and three property owners. It's aimed at boosting foot traffic as

part of a larger downtown revitalization.

Google is confirming plans to build a

data center in West Georgia. The Tech giant yesterday announced a new facility in lagrange, pledging to pay for its own power and infrastructure and a program to help lower energy costs for homeowners. It would be the company's second data center in Georgia after one in metro Atlanta's Douglas County.

In sports, the Atlanta Braves have snapped

their six game winning streak last night with a loss to the Washington Nationals 11 4. The Nationals scored three runs before Atlanta starter Ronaldo Lopez retired a hitter and the right hander was done two batters into the second. Meanwhile, Washington's Foster Griffin allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. Rookie Didier Fuentes has been called up from the minor leagues to start tonight's game against Washington, the third of the four game series. Fuentes has pitched one game in the

majors this year, a total of four

innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. That's a wrap on Georgia Today.

Make sure you check gpb.org news for updates to any of these stories and tune in tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast

so we pop up in your feed.

We're going to have all the latest

updates to the Wildfire situation that's going on in Georgia.

And if you've got feedback or perhaps a story idea for us, you can reach out by email.

When you send us a note, it'll

go to the whole team. The address is Georgia todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.