Last nights wildfire east of Elkmont in the Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park lit up the night sky and forced the closure of the Laurel Falls Hiking Trail and parking area and the Little Roundtop hiking trail.
A combination of a few days without rain, unseasonably warm weather, very low humidity and winds gusting from 10 - 15 mph was the perfect storm for a wildfire.
Another wildfire burned at least burned at least 30 acres and some structures forcing evacuations in the Cobbly Nob area between Cosby and the Gatlinburg / Pittman Center area. Witnesses miles away still see and smell smoke from this fire.
Based upon today's weather forecast, the danger of wildfires is still high.
4 comments:
Do you think this is from the controlled burn last week? Those winds sure like to keep the embers going . . .
Just talked with my folks who live at base of Cove Mountain -- so I get that fire is only at Cobbly Knob. What's happening at Laurel Falls trail & Little Roundtop parking area?
I am sure that this was not a flare up from old embers of the controlled burn done in the area.
We sent out a wild fire warning yesterday morning and no other news services from what I can see were advising people to be careful.
This fire though not huge was very intense.
Last night at around midnight the fire trucks were gone from the Laurel Falls Parking area - just a lone unoccupied park rangers SUV was there behind the barricades.
So far the national park has not issued a press release.
The next few days we are expecting some rain but unfortunately thunderstorms as well which could trigger more wildfires.
I am wrong. Embers did flare up causing the prescribed burn to rekindle.
Fire just put out on my mountain in Sevierville so I can now leave to see the Cove Mountain, Laurel Falls area firsthand
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