Incident Resources
12 crews, 59
engines, 6 helicopters, 9 dozers, 2 water tenders, 730 total personnel, 25,074
total acres
Incident Summary:
Despite
unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions, firefighters made good
progress on the fires yesterday.
The Rock
Mountain Fire near Tate City, Georgia was active yesterday, but no structures
have been lost. For more information on the Rock Mountain Fire, please visit
Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5100/
Boteler Fire (Clay County):
Firefighters
continued working hot spots and strengthened firelines in the northeast corner,
in steep terrain off Thunderstruck road near Tate Gap. The area off East
Vineyard Road was monitored throughout the day.
For
Saturday, firefighters are planning and preparing for increased winds and lower
humidity, which will test, fire lines. They will patrol and monitor existing
fire lines as continued leaf fall is causing problems by covering control lines
and increasing re-burn potential. Hot spots detected by infrared over flights
east of East Vineyard and will be closely monitored. Two initial attack groups
will be prepared to respond to any new fires in the area.
Size: 9,015 acres Containment: 72 percent Start Date: October 25
Tellico Fire (Swain and Macon
Counties)
Minimal
fire behavior and smoldering were observed on the Tellico Fire on Friday. The
infrared flight conducted Thursday evening showed isolated hot spots, primarily
on southern facing aspects of hillsides within the fire area. Firefighters
reported a brief period of light precipitation on the fire this morning. This
shower did not deliver enough moisture to have any effect on fire behavior.
Increasing
winds today as the cold front passes by the area may intensify fire spread.
Leaf fall will also increase and re-burn will be possible where leaves and
smoldering fire meet. Fuel moisture levels at historic lows combined with
predicted high winds make extreme fire behavior possible today. Spread rates
will be highest along ridges and exposed areas. Extended burn periods are
possible with no breaks in wind and modest humidity recovery.
Size: 13,874 acres Containment: 88 percent Start Date: November 3
Cathy Gap Fire (Jackson County)
Crews
continue to work to contain and suppress the Cathy Gap Fire. Fire lines are
being strengthened and crews will monitor the fire to ensure that any flare-ups
do not escape the fire line. A substantial number of firefighters and equipment
have been assigned to the fire and still more are in staging, ready to respond
should they be needed.
Size: 123 acres Containment:
80% Start Date: November 17
Dicks Creek Fire
The Dicks
Creek Fire started on October 23, 2016. It was substantially contained and was
in patrol status, but has recently begun to put up smoke from the interior of
the fire. This is a result of leaf fall building up on the forest floor to
create a continuous fuel bed. The resent reburn activity has required that the
status of the fire to be upgraded and it is now staffed. Firefighters will
maintain containment lines, scout for hot spots and monitor to ensure that the
reburn does not cross containment lines.
Size: 728 acres Containment:
98% Start Date: October 23
Weather and Fire Behavior
A strong
cold front is predicted to move through the area on Saturday, bringing colder,
windy conditions with the afternoon gust estimated at 25 to 30 mph.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the low 50s with minimum relative
humidity values at 40 to 45 percent.
Fires in Patrol Status
The
following fires are being patrolled daily to ensure containment lines are
holding: Muskrat Fire (103 ac.), Bull Pen Fire (4 ac.), Perry Fire (5 ac.),
Buck Creek Fire (8 ac.), Falls Fire (NA), Grape Cove Fire (35 ac.), Moses Creek
Fire (30 ac.), Jones Gap Fire (115 ac.), Jarrett Knob Fire (NA), Wine Spring
Fire (95 ac.), Mulberry Fire (NA), Moss Knob Fire (7 ac.), May Branch Fire (175
ac.), Boardtree Fire (0.5 ac.), Charley Creek Fire (3 ac.), Ridge Gap (2 ac.),
Cliffside Fire (101 ac.), Whitewater Fire (23 ac.), Howard Gap (0.2 ac.), and Knob
(1,130 ac.).
Road and Trail Closure Status
Swain County
· Only residents are allowed on the
following roads: Big Dog, Gassaway, Licklog, Long Branch, Luther Bingham,
Mason, Morgan, Northern Partridge, Silver Mine, East Silver Ridge, Wesser Creek,
Wilkes.
Macon County
· Forest Service Road 712, Board Tree
Road and Jones Gap Road near the Muskrat Fire have been reopened.
Nantahala
National Forest
· An area
closure order (No. 08-11-09-17-02) for the Tusquitee Ranger District is in
effect for lands, trails, and roads in the area surrounding the Boteler Fire. To
view a map and complete list of closed roads and trails, go to tinyurl.com/zoq4lm8.
·
These trails are also closed: Wesser
Creek, Whitewater Falls, Foothills from
NC Hwy 281 to the Bad Creek access, Bartram Trail from Wine Spring Bald west to
Nantahala Lake, and Bartram Trail from the trailhead at NC 106 north and west
to NC 1643 (Hickory Knoll Road).
Burning
Restrictions
·
Nantahala and Pisgah National
Forests total fire ban: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/alerts-notices/?cid=fseprd524246
Joint Information Center (JIC)
A JIC in
Asheville is distributing information about all Western North Carolina wildfires.
Email ncjicinformation@gmail.com, call 828-575-2840 (8 a.m. to 8
p.m.), or go to http://ncjic.blogspot.com
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