BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. — What was supposed to be a typical Tuesday for Waynesville Primary School teacher Tina Gibson quickly turned into anything but.
“We went on to lunch as normal, and the kids sat down, and they were starting to eat, and that’s when we learned we had to be evacuated,” said Gibson.
On April 21st, her school and Atkinson Elementary school in Brantley County were forced to evacuate due to the Highway 82 fire rapidly growing.
“There was just black smoke going up over the trees right there, and you could just see it boiling up,” said Gibson. “Just seeing that smoke, it was horrible.”
Gibson and other teachers quickly loaded the students onto a school bus to go to Brantley County Middle School.
“It was about 30 to 35 minutes,” said Gibson. “Normally it would take 20 (minutes) if you drive on (HWY) 82, but since it was blocked, we had to go down Post Road down (HWY) 32. We had a police escort.”
She said the evacuation went very smoothly.
“Dr. Morgan, the admins at all the schools, they had everything lined up,” said Gibson. We loaded the buses, and we were escorted to the middle school.”
Through it all, Gibson had no idea what the state of her home was. However, she said that thought never crossed her mind.
“My focus was the kids and their safety to make sure they get back home,” said Gibson.
When the school bus finally reached the middle school, she said that was when reality set in.
“The hardest part was when we were at the middle school, and we would see parents come in crying to come and get their kids, knowing they’ve already lost their homes. That’s when it hit the most, because those are our babies,” said Gibson.
Students will not return to Brantley County Schools for the rest of the week; however, teachers will return starting Thursday, April 30th.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.