{"id":14626,"date":"2016-11-28T14:41:26","date_gmt":"2016-11-28T14:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14626"},"modified":"2016-11-28T16:50:32","modified_gmt":"2016-11-28T16:50:32","slug":"firefighters-from-around-country-show-up-to-fight-georgia-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14626","title":{"rendered":"Firefighters from around country show up to fight Georgia wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

(11 Alive<\/a>) \u2013 North Georgia\u2019s wildfires have left little room for holiday relaxation for the men and women from all around the country fighting them.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean that crews would be denied the chance to sit down to a quick break and a warm Thanksgiving meal.<\/p>\n

The Rough Ridge and Rock Mountain fires in north Georgia are now a combined 46,000 acres in size and counting.\u00a0 While the fire didn\u2019t stop for Thanksgiving, the community did \u2013 to say thank you.<\/p>\n

Day after day, they battle the fire, the rough conditions, the steep terrain and the long hours. Thanksgiving day was more of the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s hard and I realize that and our families give up a lot for you to be here to help out the people here,\u201d Command Noel Livingston said. \u201cSo thank you for doing that and thank you to the folks back home for allowing you to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Livingston, who oversees U.S. Forest Service Incident Command, commended the Rock Mountain firefighters at the morning\u2019s daily briefing \u2013 and the Rabun community as well.<\/p>\n

They spent the last two days thanking the crews who are working to keep them safe.<\/p>\n

And a hot plate of food and simple thank you can go a long way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local community prepared it and donated all of it,\u201d one fire official said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you guys for everything,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of men and women from here in Georgia and all over the country were fed, Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe great citizens of Clayton, Rabun County prepared all this food for us, so thank you guys,\u201d one firefighter said.<\/p>\n

Local school kids wrote thank you notes and made cards. These communities surrounded by fire are thankful for those who fight it this holiday.<\/p>\n