Boteler Fire and
Nantahala Branch Fires Update
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Announcement
The Blue Team will assume command
of the Maple Springs Fire tomorrow, Wednesday, November 23, at 7:00 a.m. The
team will also assist Cheoah Ranger District personnel with new fire starts.
For Maple Springs Fire information, visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5050/.
Incident Resources
12 crews, 57 engines, 6
helicopters, 8 dozers, 1 water tender, 722 total personnel, 25,113 total acres
Boteler Fire (Clay County)
Firefighters reported no change to
the fire yesterday, and all fire lines are holding. With leaves falling and
reburning and gusty winds persisting, crews are monitoring hotspots and
strengthening firelines again today. Containment efforts are hampered by
continued leaf drop and reburn, but firefighters are diligently patrolling and
monitoring existing containment lines. Hotspots detected through nightly infrared
flights are being closely monitored. Firefighters are prepared to respond to
any new fire starts in the area.
Size: 9,043 acres Containment:
77 percent Start
Date: October 25
Tellico Fire (Swain and Macon
Counties)
Yesterday,
crews observed only moderate fire behavior—creeping and smoldering. Today, they
will be working on the southwest side of the fires along the last remaining
section of uncontained line near Partridge Creek Road west of Deweese Road.
Else. Crews elsewhere around the perimeter will monitor, patrol, and blow
leaves off containment lines.
Size:
13,874 acres Containment: 91
percent Start Date: November 3
Cathey Gap and Dick’s Creek Fires
(Jackson County)
Sunday
night’s infrared flight did not detect any significant sources of heat within
the Dick’s Creek Fire perimeter but did detect some scattered heat inside the
Cathey Gap Fire perimeter. Today, fifteen firefighters with two engines will
walk the perimeters of both fires, looking for any persistent hotspots
smoldering in duff, freshly fallen leaves, or tree stumps. They will blow or
rake leaves off containment lines to ensure that any interior reburning does
not compromise those lines.
Cathy Gap: Size: 123
acre Containment: 90 percent Start Date: November 17
Dick’s Creek: Size:
729 acres Containment:
99 percent Start Date:
October 11
Weather and Fire Behavior
The high-pressure
system will move to the east of the fire area by tonight. Today will be mild
and dry. Temperatures will be in the low 50s to low 60s. The relative humidity
could get as low as 20 percent. Ridgetop winds will be from the southwest 9–12
mph. The warming trend will continue, but although there is no significant
precipitation forecasted through Thursday, the relative humidity will continue
to increase.
The
existing fires are minimally active and not expected to grow. Fire managers are
most concerned about short-range spotting from interior reburns. As leaves fall
onto fire-blacked, still-hot ground, they can ignite and become airborne,
crossing containment lines into unburned vegetation. Firefighters are
patrolling all fire perimeters to ensure that spot fires do not get established.
Initial Attack and Fires in Patrol Status
Last night just before midnight, initial-attack
firefighters working the night shift responded to a new fire south of Franklin
in the Jones Creek area. They contained the fire when it was less than an acre.
Crews today will finish mopping up the containment lines.
The following fires are being
patrolled daily to ensure containment lines are holding: Buck Creek Fire (6
ac.), Falls Fire (NA), Grape Cove Fire (11 ac.), Moses Creek Fire (30 ac.),
Jones Gap Fire (8 ac.), Jarrett Knob Fire (NA), Wine Spring Fire (93 ac.),
Mulberry Fire (1 ac.), Moss Knob Fire (7 ac.), May Branch Fire (175 ac.),
Boardtree Fire (0.5 ac.), Charley Creek Fire (6 ac.), Nick (0.2 ac.), Ridge Gap
(1 ac.), Ferebee (now Tellico), Cliffside Fire (110 ac.), Whitewater Fire (23
ac.), Howard Gap (0.2 ac.), Knob (1,130 ac.), Muskrat (104 ac.), Bullpen (6
ac.).
Road and Trail Closure Status
All roads in Swain and
Macon Counties are open. Nantahala National Forest closures
remain.
·
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
·
An area
closure order (No. 08-11-00-17-03) for the Tusquitee and Nantahala Rangers
Districts is in effect for lands, trails, and roads southeast of the Boteler
Fire. The closed area extends south from Highway 64 to the Georgia border and
includes the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. The Appalachian Trail is closed from
the Nantahala Outdoor Center south to the Georgia border. To view a map and
complete list of closed roads and trails, go to tinyurl.com/jmxv7dv.
·
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.
Nearby Fires
The Rock Mountain Fire, near Tate
City, Georgia, continues to progress northward into the Shooting Creek Wilderness
in North Carolina. No structures have been burned. Smoke is visible from
Franklin and many other communities in our area. The fire is being managed by
the Pacific Northwest 3 Incident Management Team. The team will hold a public
meeting tonight at 6:00 at the Otto Community Center, 60 Firehouse Road, Otto,
North Carolina. For fire information, call 470-208-2866, or go to inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5100/.
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