Georgia · Bulloch County · Fire
I-16 West Grass Fire Burns Half a Mile Along the Median Near State Route 67 at Mile Marker 125.8 in Bulloch County, GA
Fire crews responded to a grass fire that stretched about half a mile along the median of Interstate 16 in Bulloch County on Tuesday afternoon, WTOC reported. It was reported on I-16 West near State Route 67 at mile marker 125.8, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. The cause and information about possible lane closures were not immediately available.
Key facts
- What
- A grass fire, with flames appearing to burn through brush in the interstate median
- Where
- I-16 West near State Route 67, mile marker 125.8, Bulloch County
- How far
- About half a mile along Interstate 16
- When
- Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 18, 2026
- Response
- Some firefighters already at the scene, additional fire engines heading to the area. No department named
- Cause
- Not immediately available
- Lane closures
- Not immediately available
- Location source
- Georgia Department of Transportation, quoted by WTOC
- Status
- Unresolved in the published record. No containment or extinguishment has been reported. Last confirmed information is WTOC's 4:30 p.m. ET report
What happened on I-16 West in Bulloch County?
Fire crews responded to a grass fire that stretched for about half a mile along Interstate 16 in Bulloch County on Tuesday afternoon, WTOC reported.
The fire was reported on I-16 West near State Route 67 at mile marker 125.8, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation, cited in that report.
The flames appeared to burn through brush in the interstate median, the station reported. A Georgia 511 traffic camera showed smoke rising along the interstate.
Some firefighters were already at the scene as additional fire engines headed to the area. WTOC did not name a fire department, a county agency or a state agency among the crews responding, so this report names none either.
WTOC published its story at 4:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, according to the timestamp on its own page.
What has actually been released about the location?
Three things, and only three: a direction, a cross route and a mile marker. I-16 West, near State Route 67, at mile marker 125.8. That came from the Georgia Department of Transportation, quoted by WTOC.
No town, no exit number and no landmark was named. This report does not place mile marker 125.8 against a community or an interchange, because the account it is built on did not.
The fire itself was described only as stretching about half a mile along the interstate, with the flames in the median. Whether that half mile runs east or west of the State Route 67 crossing was not stated, and no start point or end point was given.
| Detail | What has been released |
|---|---|
| Location | Bulloch County, Georgia |
| Roadway | Interstate 16, near State Route 67 |
| Direction | I-16 West |
| Mile marker | 125.8 |
| Extent | About half a mile along the interstate, flames in the median |
| Reported | Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 18, 2026 |
| Source | WTOC, published 4:30 p.m. ET Aug. 18, 2026, citing the Georgia Department of Transportation for the location |
| Cause | Not immediately available |
| Lane closures | Not immediately available |
| Status | Unresolved in the published record. No containment or extinguishment reported |
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Are lanes closed on I-16?
Not established. WTOC reported that the cause of the fire and information about possible lane closures were not immediately available.
That is the entire published record on the point. No lane closure has been reported, and no statement that all lanes are open has been reported either.
A Georgia 511 traffic camera showed smoke rising along the interstate, the station reported.
WTOC's own report told drivers traveling through the area to use caution and prepare for possible delays and reduced visibility. That advisory is WTOC's, and it is reported here as WTOC's — no agency has been quoted issuing it, and The Local Alert is not repeating it as instruction.
Who handles this kind of incident on a Georgia interstate?
For conditions on the roadway itself, the agency of record is the Georgia Department of Transportation. GDOT is what supplies the lane status, the incident locations and the mile-marker references that traffic reporting is built on — including the mile marker 125.8 location in this story.
The limit of that attribution matters here. GDOT reached this report through WTOC, not from a GDOT page or feed that The Local Alert opened. The Georgia 511 event data that would carry a lane-closure record sits behind an API key we do not hold, so this report cannot confirm or contradict a closure from the source.
The firefighting side is a separate question, and on this fire it is simply unanswered. WTOC described firefighters at the scene and engines en route without naming who they were. No fire department, no county agency and no state forestry agency has been identified in connection with this fire, so none is named here.
What we don't know yet
- The cause of the fire. It was not immediately available, WTOC reported, and no agency has been quoted on it since.
- Whether any lanes of I-16 were closed, in either direction. Also not immediately available.
- Whether anyone was hurt. Injuries are not addressed in the report in either direction — not confirmed, not ruled out.
- Which fire department or departments responded. No agency has been named.
- What time the fire started and how long it burned.
- Whether the fire is contained or out now. Nothing has been published about the outcome.
- Total acreage. The only size figure published is the roughly half-mile stretch along the interstate.
- Whether anything other than median brush burned.
- Whether any vehicle, structure or property was involved or threatened.
- Which agency will publish the next update, and when.
Why does this report cite only one newsroom?
Because one newsroom has published it. This is a single-outlet story: WTOC, the Gray Media station in Savannah, under a Savannah dateline.
A search for corroboration turned up nothing to add. No second newsroom account of this fire could be located, no Georgia Forestry Commission release could be read, and the Georgia 511 event feed is gated behind a key. No second newsroom is claimed here, and no agency statement was read firsthand.
So every location detail on this page — the interstate, the direction, the cross route, the mile marker — reaches you through one station's account of what a state agency told it. That is worth stating plainly rather than burying, because it is the honest shape of what is known at this hour.
This report is part of The Local Alert’s ongoing Bulloch County, GA coverage, which includes the fatal Old River Road rollover near Statesboro. Another Georgia roadway incident was reported the same day: a steel spill that closed the southbound lanes of Jimmy DeLoach Parkway in Pooler.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the I-16 grass fire in Bulloch County?
On I-16 West near State Route 67 at mile marker 125.8, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation as reported by WTOC. No town, exit number or landmark was named in that report.
How big is the I-16 grass fire?
WTOC reported that the fire stretched for about half a mile along Interstate 16 in Bulloch County, with the flames appearing to burn through brush in the median. No acreage figure has been published.
Is I-16 closed in Bulloch County?
That has not been established. WTOC reported that information about possible lane closures was not immediately available. No closure has been reported, and no statement that all lanes are open has been reported either.
What caused the I-16 grass fire?
The cause was not immediately available, WTOC reported. No agency has been quoted stating a cause.
Was anyone hurt in the I-16 grass fire?
No injuries are mentioned in WTOC's report. That report does not say whether anyone was hurt, and no injury information has been released either way.
Which fire department responded to the I-16 grass fire?
No department has been named. WTOC reported that some firefighters were already at the scene as additional fire engines headed to the area, but it did not identify any agency.
Is the I-16 grass fire out?
That has not been reported. Our last confirmed information is WTOC's report published at 4:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, which described crews responding. Nothing has been published since about containment or extinguishment.
What did WTOC tell drivers about the I-16 fire?
WTOC's report said drivers traveling through the area should use caution and prepare for possible delays and reduced visibility. That line is WTOC's own; no agency has been quoted issuing it.
Where did the mile marker 125.8 location come from?
The Georgia Department of Transportation, quoted by WTOC. The Local Alert did not read a GDOT page directly; GDOT's location and mile marker reach this report through WTOC's account.
Sources
- WTOC — “Grass fire stretches along I-16 median in Bulloch County,” dateline Savannah, Ga., published 4:30 p.m. ET, Aug. 18, 2026. Cites the Georgia Department of Transportation for the location and mile marker.
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from the single source linked above. At the time of writing this was a single-outlet report: WTOC (Gray Media, Savannah), carrying the Georgia Department of Transportation’s location for the fire. No second independent report was found, no Georgia Forestry Commission release could be read, and the Georgia 511 event data requires an API key we do not hold. GDOT is quoted here by WTOC; no GDOT page was read directly. No fire department has been named in connection with this fire, and none is named here. This is a developing incident and details may change as officials release more information. The Local Alert is not a fire agency, not a transportation agency and not a law firm. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
Reported and fact-checked as of .
The source linked here was opened and verified at that time. Our last confirmed information is WTOC’s report published at 4:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 18, 2026 — roughly three hours before this page was written — and nothing published since then has been located. This report reflects what was known and confirmed at that moment; it is not updated automatically as the story develops. For the current status of an active incident, contact the agency named above.
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We report from named outlets and public records, and every fact here is linked to its source. If something is inaccurate — a name, a road, an agency, a number — tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.