As a wildfire rages on in the Smoky Mountains, national officials are working to contain the flames spreading through the region.
News of the fire was first reported by the National Park Service on August 28, when officials said that it was raging across about 10 acres of land. The area covered by the flames increased since August 26, when the fire was first reported close to Hannah Mountain. It was less than 24 hours before the incident, referred to as the Flint Gap Fire, was raging in 10 acres.
The fire’s origin is impacting a stretch of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the Tennessee side. Multiple parts of the park are still closed thanks to risks of fire spreading to those areas. In an updated message dated August 29, the National Park Service announced that the fire had more than doubled to 23 acres.
Officials also noted that it was largely impacting the undergrowth found in steep terrain. However, on August 30, the park shared news that the fire was less extensive than initially believed. They explained that the incident was impacting an “estimated 16.3 acres” and cited “more accurate mapping” for this specific update.
But the wildfire is still requiring significant resources to fight it. At the end of last week, the Tennessee National Guard was releasing water via aircraft to try and put out the flames. They had dropped a total of 25,000 gallons before a helicopter went into the region to determine if safety crews could work on the ground.
Four parts of the park which were initially designated as closed due to the fire remain so, with no additional areas being shut down. As of August 30, structures are not believed to be in danger of destruction. Although helicopter assistance has provided mapping to watch the fire’s progress, the initial cause of the incident has yet to be discovered.
The Smoky Mountains wildfire is not the first of its kind to attack a national park this year. Back in March, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia faced similar threats of flames—but on a much larger scale. The Rocky Branch Wildfire led to Skyline Drive being shut down for almost 10 miles.
Impacted areas included the Appalachian Trail, and officials declared a fire ban throughout the entire park in an effort to contain the flames. Local communities were also warned about starting fires due to the dry weather which could quickly expand the flames.
One day after the fire started, the National Park Service estimated it to have already spread across 450 acres. 24 hours after it started, officials were believed to have achieved 10% containment, primarily of two bigger fires. Crew members stayed nearby to take care of flames that were rekindled.
Unlike the Smoky Mountains wildfire, the one in Shenandoah destroyed five homes within the first two days of the incident, as reported at the time by county officials.
