Drought conditions in the area that fire officials say resemble weather normally seen in the later summer months contributed to a resurgence of a woods fire in Villa Rica on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Carroll County Fire Rescue Chief Gary Thomas said firefighters have spent more than six hours of manpower battling a brush fire unintentionally set by three brothers, ages 8 and 9, in the woods in close proximity to neighboring houses and businesses near Commerce Drive.

Thomas said the three brothers admitted to starting the brush fire, which threatened three homes and a gas station, shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday while playing with matches.

After firefighters and workers with the Georgia Forestry Commission plowed a breaker to stop the fire, which burned about four acres, firefighters were sent back to the area four times during the night and again about 2 p.m. Wednesday after the fire rekindled and jumped the breaker, according to Thomas.

“With the wind and very dry conditions, the fire was able to rekindle under the dry soil and extended across the breaker,” he said.

Officials said the three boys, who attempted to stomp on the fire that quickly grew out of control due to the dry weather, were seen running from the woods by neighbors who called 911 to report the fire.

The brothers have been referred to undergo counseling by county firefighters as part of the Juvenile Fire Setter program. This could include multiple sessions to educate the boys about the fire department and dangers of fire.

Thomas said firefighters used several thousand gallons of water to fight the woods fire that continued to smolder into the early evening Wednesday. A chemical product was also added to the water that allows firefighters to use less water since the compound enhances the water’s ability to better penetrate fire conditions.

Thomas said the decision to place the boys in the counseling program was decided on several reasons, including their ages and their heightened awareness of the drought conditions. None of the boys have a known history of setting fires, according to officials.

The same weather conditions that allowed the brush fire to spread so quickly and rekindle overnight also has fire officials concerned about how drought conditions will impact West Georgia this summer.

“This is the driest at this time of year that I can remember in a long time,” Thomas said. “We’re seeing conditions we would have seen in late July and August - it’s not even June yet. If we don’t get a measurable rainfall soon, the situation could deteriorate even further.”

Thomas said as the summer air quality is typically poorer in the region, the effects from South Georgia’s wildfires coupled with the possibility of a local wildfire occurring in a neighboring county could have an adverse impact on individuals suffering from respiratory conditions.

“Those conditions could worsen if we have a wildfire closer to home considering the impact from the smoke we’ve seen from 200 miles away,” he said. “We could see some serious smoke conditions.”

Thomas said the county has been under a Level 2 Drought Response since April 18. Residents with odd-numbered addresses can have outdoor water use Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and even-numbered addresses on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Watering is only allowed from midnight to 10 a.m. If dry weather conditions persist, outdoor water could be further limited.