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Farmville Burns, Is Saved; No Need To Panic

By: Bill Chappell // August 29, 2011
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's George Mathis may have started a panic earlier today, when he wrote the headline "Farmville is burning." But he quickly clarified that this was an actual, not a virtual, fire:

Before you rush off to rescue your Facebook plantation, know that this Farmville is an unincorporated area in Gordon County, located in northwest Georgia.

Mathis writes that local emergency management director Richard Cooper blamed a spark from a lawnmower for the fire — which spread to 150 acres, and required about 50 firefighters to contain.

Update at 10 p.m. ET: No Injuries, No House Damage.

We are happy to note that the wildfire did not damage any homes or cause any injuries, according to all available reports. Our original post continues:

As a colleague here at NPR notes, the actual blaze makes one wonder how many credits it would take to control a virtual blaze in the Zynga game.

A look into the trusty desk-reference Geographical Dictionary reveals that there are at least two other real Farmvilles, including towns in both North Carolina and Virginia.

And in another twist, Georgia's Farmville happens to be due west of a hamlet called Cash.

Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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