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ATLANTA — <\/span>ATLANTA (AP) \u2014 Wildfires<\/a> burning across the southeastern U.S. were intensifying Wednesday after destroying nearly 50 homes in southeastern Georgia and forcing evacuations in some communities.<\/p>\n Some of the biggest fires were popping up between and around Jacksonville, Florida, and along Georgia’s coast. A long drought, low humidity and strong winds are fueling the blazes, and Florida is facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades.<\/p>\n In southeastern Georgia, 47 homes were lost Tuesday in a fast-moving wildfire, according to Joey Cason, the Brantley County manager.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were literally evacuations that were taking place with people removed by our EMS service from the porch as the fire was in their backyard,\u201d Cason told WJAX-TV.<\/p>\n Evacuations were underway in multiple communities, the Georgia Forestry Association said Wednesday morning. \u201cThis is a serious and evolving situation,\u201d said Tim Lowrimore, president & CEO of the association.<\/p>\n In Florida, firefighting equipment was being staged across the state so resources are closer to the fires, state Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said. <\/p>\n \u201cFlorida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years or it\u2019s turning out to be that way,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in drought for 18 months now all across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n