Two consecutive days of wood fires kept Polk County volunteer firefighters busy as they worked alongside Georgia Forestry Commission personnel to contain the damage.

A large brush fire on Cave Spring-Cedartown Road near the Floyd County line forced authorities to temporarily shut down the road Wednesday afternoon. Polk County Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Lacey said the fire involved about 70 acres. County firefighters helped contain the fire to ensure that nearby homes were not damaged.

The fire-fighting effort was made more difficult by a late afternoon thunderstorm that moved into the area. While that storm dumped a lot of rain over Cedartown around 5 p.m. Wednesday, the area of the fire “only got a drizzle,” Lacey said.

“They said it rained so hard in Cedartown that you couldn’t see anything,” Lacey said. “But the northwest corner of the county is very dry. Even when a thunderstorm comes it, it runs off and doesn’t really soak in.”

Another fire occurred around 2:30 p.m. Thursday a few miles from Wednesday’s fire. Lacey said the fire locations were “coincidental” and did not appear to be connected to the same source.

The forestry commission was investigating the source of the fires, but had not issued a statement Friday. A lightning strike was considered a possible ignition source.

Thursday’s fire burned some 150 acres around Jackson Chapel Road, off Mountain Home Road and Ga. Hwy 100. High winds pushed the fire across fire breaks cut by forestry personnel, and county firefighters were called out to help contain the fire. Some homes were in the expected path of the fire, but it was contained an there was no structural damage to property, Lacey said.

Polk County’s 911 center continued to receive telephone calls Friday about smoke in the area. However, all fires are out and forestry personnel advise that Polk County residents can expect to see some smoke for several days.