Of the 1,238 wildfires in the state so far this year, officials suspect arson in nearly half of them. Firefighters allow the fire to creep as close as they are comfortable to structures before extinguishing it, leaving it little to no fuel to consume should it re-ignite. There will be areas within the fire line that could burn for months.
Advertisement
Crippling drought conditions are sparking blaze after blaze across six states in the South.
Greathouse said this is leaving more residual fire than usual that more easily reignites, causing fires thought to be contained to spread and helps explain the size of some of the wildfires in the region this fall. “Give them a status update”, said Susan Blake with the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire scorched roughly 20 acres and is “now contained and mopped up (controlled)”, she added.
LAKE LURE- Cabarrus County firefighters have joined in the fight against the Party Rock Fire.
“We’re fortunate that we have not seen any greater loss of property, or certainly not the loss of life, and we hope that it will continue that way”, Deal said. The advisory indicates the air quality is unhealthy for sensitive or at-risk groups including individuals with allergies or asthma. Data from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that November had the highest level of drought particularly across parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
More than 30 large wildfires have left a trail of destruction through 80,000 acres in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky, according to the US Forest Service.
“These guys are like family to us”, said Terra Ray, manager of the Cosby Highway Subway. There are over 5,000 firefighters and support staff from around the country working to suppress the fires, as well as 40 aircraft, including three large air tankers flying out of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Party Rock Fire information can be found at INCIWEB or on the Town of Lake Lure Facebook page.
South of Morganton, at South Mountains State Park, the Chestnut Knob fire has burned 4,600 acres of steep terrain.
In northeast Georgia, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that it was was looking for “a dark blue SUV driven by a person of interest” in connection with fires that forced parts of that county to be evacuated.
“This fire can now be seen from many areas of North Georgia including the Conasauga River, and it is being closely worked and monitored by state, federal and local agencies”.
Advertisement
“What really perturbs me is it’s really evident these fires were started, and what you have is an example of homegrown terrorism”, Smith said. “On Saturday, GMAG contacted Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services asking for assistance to provide an engine company to help defend homes from the fast-approaching wildfires”. “We’re doing every rain dance we know”.
