Controlled burn to take place today in Cades Cove Section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hyatt Lane was closed in Cades Cove in anticipation of today's controlled burn to take place of weather permits. Additional burns are scheduled to take place this week in Cades Cove and could possible be pushed into next week as Thursday and Friday do not look like optimum weather for a good burn.

Controlled burns are used in the Great Smoky Mountains national park to clear vegetation in fields along with mowing in order to keep filed open from large vegetation such as bushes and trees so they remain as they were historically.

Prescribed burns also reduce fuel so that wild fires do not burn as hot and spread as quickly as they would and unmaintained areas as well as help increase biodiversity.

Controlled burns to take place in Cades Cove section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Cades Cove in the north western section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park will be ground zero for 3 planned controlled burns this week performed by national park service firefighters as a cost effective method to keep the historic fields in the valley from becoming a forest.

Prescribed burns in Cades Cove generally take place in March but due to the Cades Cove Loop Road repaving next year which will close the road, prescribed burns will take place if weather conditions permit today through Friday.

Today the park plans on burning several tracts of land in the Cades Cove Valley west of Hyatt Lane close to where prescribed burns took place this spring. Before setting the larger blaze containment areas have been set by mowing the grass around where the burn is to take place.

If all goes well tomorrow through Friday the next set of controlled wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains national park will take place in fields between Parks and Hyatt Lane.

While these burns should not effect traffic along the Cades Cove Loop Road it is possible to road will be closed for safety reasons. It is also possible either Hyatt Lane or Sparks Lane will be also closed in the next 3 days but more than likely the only effect the prescribed wild fire will have on visitors in Cades Cove is the sight and smell of smoke.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park has about 950 acres of fields in the Cove visible from Cades Cove Loop Road mowed a year and another 1,000 acres that are less visible are kept from being claimed by forest burned or mowed on a 3 year rotation.

Laurel Falls Hiking Trail Fire Damage Report

Wild fires in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are inevitable and in fact in some cases even encouraged under controlled circumstances. This is not the case with this week's Laurel Falls Wildfire which threatened one of the parks most valuable natural resources as well as homes and businesses close by.

The Laurel Falls wild fire was set accidentally by an illegal campfire similar to the one pictures here I found 2 days ago in the Greenbrier section of the park. There was a wildfire warning the day this fire was made and since the weather conditions were right and there was plenty of fuel to feed a brush fire with all of the hardwood litter on the forest floor and beetle damaged trees, the fire quickly got out of hand.

Dozens and dozens of firefighters worked with hand tools making scratch lines and fire breaks to slow the spread of the wild fire, along with setting small controllable fires to burn up any fuel they could before the main fire reached the area.

Along with almost 90 men on the ground fighting the fire, a light helicopter dropped loads of water taken from a pond in Wears Valley on the area, while a 2 engine reconnaissance plane used a spotter to help control the ground crew and lead in the water taker plane as it would drop its load of water and flame retardant flown in all the way from Chattanooga.

The hiking trail to Laurel Falls is a short paved trail less than 1-1/4 miles long which takes you to one of the most attractive waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. This section of the trail has a limited incline gaining about 600 feet to the falls and year round has some overlooks affording visitors a view of mountains within the GSMNP.

The Laurel Falls waterfall is quite impressive and is where most of the visitors who come to the most poplar hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park stop. In fact the Laurel Falls Hiking trail continues far past where it is paved and continues another 1-1/2 miles gaining another 950 feet in elevation before it reaches the next trailhead where you can take a short 1-1/2 round trip hike up to the peak of Cove Mountain.

The stretch of the Laurel Falls Hiking Trail past the falls contains largest concentration and some of the best old growth trees that can be accessed in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. These huge old growth trees were never logged as they were not accessible to the Little River Logging Company who clear cut large areas of this wilderness before it became a national park.

The first quarter of the way up the waterfall trail, other than the smell of an old campfire in the air you would never know that a huge battle against a wild fire was just fought on this trail. Why look to the left and you will see one the first flaming azaleas still blooming in the park.

The last 2/3rd of the trail are another story. Clear fire damage is visible on both sides of the Laurel Falls Hiking Trail. Huge charged logs lay on the ground many of which are cut into more manageable sizes with the use of a chain saw.

There is now an obvious absence of normal understory plants and small bushes in most areas and blacked pine cones and scorched empty soda cans previously hidden on the first floor can now be seen scattered about on the forest floor or mountainside on the rest of the way the waterfalls.

Though it looks terrible now, this damage along the hiking trail is very minimal as most of the mid and upper level canopy has remained untouched and bright green in huge contrast the to the black scorched forest floor.

By the end of the summer, other than the scorched logs and tree trunks, most of the understory will have grown back and the rhododendrons and other bushes should be fine by next spring.

Luckily even though almost 270 acres of this beautiful forest between Elkmont and the Sugarlands was damaged by the wildfire, the area past the Laurel Falls remains untouched.

Once you pass the falls and hike up the double switchback to the other side of Chinquapin Mountains on the back end of the trail, larger trees become more and more numerous and the wildflowers more abundant. A few hundred yards more and you start to see the parks old growth giants scattered about.

This forest has always felt more primordial to me with its huge trees, dark green ferns and heavy low cover of wildflowers and is one of the most tranquil areas of the entire Great Smoky Mountains national park. I have hiked all of the trails in the park and time and time again I find myself taken aback by the beauty of this trail.

Within a few minutes along this section of the trail you forget you just went such major destruction. Back on this section of the trail you smell the fresh green of spring and the smell of old stale smoke is no longer discernible.

Today you can see plenty of wildflowers which have already peaked in other sections of the park including: Large Flowered Trillium, White Erect Trillium, Painted Trillium (pictured below), White Violets, Hepatica, Rue Anemone, Silverbell, Wild Strawberry, Star Grass, Smooth Yellow Violet, Common Blue Violet and Squaw root coming up through the leaves everywhere.

Thanks to the valiant efforts of our firefighter, one of the most precious resources on the Great Smoky Mountains has been saved form destruction. The economic cost to fight the Laurel Falls Wild Fire will be staggering.

GSM Wild Fire Report: Laurel Falls: Contained - Stony Ridge: Almost there

Thanks to rain and cooler spring weather in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Laurel Falls Wildfire has been contained a day earlier than predicted and the Stony Ridge wild fire should be contained shortly.

As of last night all the hiking trails closed by the Laurel Falls Wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains national park have reopened.

Because of the Wears Cove wildfire, The Little Roundtop Hiking Trails off Wears Cove Road and ends at the Townsend Wye remains closed at this time.

The closed section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from US 441 to US 19 has been reopened and the command of the Stony Ridge Wildfire will be assumed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tomorrow and is expected to be completely contained by Monday.

Great Smoky Mountains national park Laurel Falls wild fire update

The Laurel Falls Hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park remains closed along with other hiking trails close by as 3 fire fighter crews continue to fight the stubborn blaze fueled by leaves, branches, and other hardwood litter as well as trees with heavy beetle kill damage.

Though open flames were no longer visible from the last areal reconnaissance of the Laurel Falls wild fire in the GSMNP, stump holes and logs are still smoking and could flare up at any time. The photo below was taken at the Laurel Falls wild fire and shows typical current fire behavior.

Though the Laurel Falls Hiking trail is only a moderate incline, the fire fighters are dealing what they have classified as an extremely rugged and steep terrain making battling the blaze very difficult.

The estimated current containment date of the Laurel Falls Wildfire is now May 3rd. The potential growth of this fire is minimal as long as the weather trends continue and the condition of the fire is now far better than it has been in the past 3 days.

Currently this wildfire is within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and Ober Gatlinburg and residences close by do not appear to be in any danger, but are still having to deal with varying degree of smoke.

Laurel Falls TN and Stony Ridge NC Wild Fires still burning in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

The national park service released management of the 2 wildfires still burning in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to an Interagency Incident Management Team. This team specializes in directing and providing logistical support to large incidents, especially fires.

Currently the Laurel Falls fire which was started by an illegal campfire has affected more than 250 acres and has shut down the extremely popular Laurel Falls hiking trail is only 25% contained despite days of intense firefighting efforts by almost 90 firefighters with air support. At this time the rare old growth forest behind Laurel Falls are not in danger.

Plenty of fuel for this wildfire was and still is available as a prescribed burn has not been done in this area for a very long time. This section of the park really did need the natural cleaning of fire to help increase the biodiversity. Firefighters are burning areas in front of the wildfire right now to reduce its fuel.

Expect the Laurel Falls hiking trail to be closed for some time even after the fire is out to be sure there are no hot spots are hanging trees that could fall onto visitors.

Since fire personnel are tied up fighting this fire it will take days for the Roundtop Trail to be reopened because crews need to examine the trail and surrounding area before it can be deemed safe.

The Stony Ridge Wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains national park was started by a downed power line and has already scorched at least 1,200 acres in the Cherokee North Carolina area and has shut down the northern most section of the Blue Ridge Parkway between US 19 - Soco Road and US 441 Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. US 441 Newfound Gap Road is not impacted at all other than occasional smoke.

More than 150 firefighters are working on the Stony Ridge Wildfire with the use of air support and at this time it is halfway contained. The western perimeter at this time is secured and crews are battling to secure the eastern perimeter by the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The cool damp weather from last night and now today has been some help and we can only hope that we get more rain though the forecasts are saying there is only a 30% chance of rain today.

Wildfire closes Laurel Falls and Little Roundtop Trails in Great Smoky Mountains national park.

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.

Fire closes Old Time Pottery in the Belz outlet mall in Pigeon Forge

Fire Sprinklers saved the day at Old Time Pottery at the Belz Factory outlet in Pigeon Forge when fire broke out today.

The fire started outside the store in gardening but was contained before there was any significant damage to the interior which still suffered some water and smoke damage.

Everyone was evacuated safely with no reported injuries and Mall management shut down the entire Belz outlet mall as a precaution.

The Mall should be reopened by Monday but Old Time Pottery will need extensive water and smoke remediation before it reopens.

Rain is dampening spirits of leaf peepers and barely helping drought in the Smokies

Today marks the second day of light rain in the Great Smoky Mountains, just in time for one of the heaviest weekends of peak leaf season visitation and damping the spirits of some leaf peepers, but not enough to put a dent in the water shortage caused by 2 years of drought.

The rain though light, is knocking many leaves that turned in the trees onto the ground making hiking and driving on the wet slippery leaves a little more hazardous than normal.

As more and more leaves fall to the ground the threat of wildfires increases especially given the huge numbers of trees that have died in the past 2 years due to the stresses of drought, last years late freeze and the massive hemlock kill off caused by the invasive exotic pest the Hemlock woolly adelgid which is decimating the hemlock trees throughout the Great Smoky Mountains.

All of this excess fuel is creating the potential for a huge wildfire situation and we need to make sure that we clear as much brush as possible from around our homes and make firebreaks.

Last week a cabin rental company America Mountains Rentals had just cleared brush from the sides and behind a cabin for rent on Bluff Mountain in Wears Valley just days before a brush fire broke out threatening the entire mountainside.

A total of 5 local fire departments fought the wildfire day and night and were able to put it out that to the fact that there was a firebreak that slowed the fire down.

That entire section of Bluff Mountain was evacuated and fortunately American Mountain Rentals had a large enough inventory of cabins that they were able to give the evacuees alternate accommodations for the rest of their vacations.

Another cabin fire a few days ago burnt a large 4 bedroom luxury rental unit to the ground and luckily everyone was able to escape without injuries.

It is also crucial that we don't treat fire carelessly in the backcountry only making a fire when absolutely necessary in within a safe campfire containment area in designated campsites. More than once, I have come across a deserted campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and found a fire still smoldering in a fire pit or ring.

It is also important that if you have been driving for a while that you do not park on top of a pile of leaves as your hot exhaust system can actually cause the leaves to ignite setting the leaves and your car on fire.

Light rain is expected to fall on and off throughout much of the Smokies today, and the weather should return to bright sunny skies by tomorrow.

5 Black Bears safe after Pigeon Forge Fire

The Three Bears Gift shop on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge suffered severe damage and was destroyed from this mornings fire, but thankfully no one was injured including the 5 black bears that reside in the gift shop.

The 3 bears Gift shop has been a landmark in Pigeon Forge Tennessee since the 1970's many who came to the gift shop came to see the resident black bears in a pen in the back.

More then half the building was engulfed in flames by the time the fireman arrived a little after 4 am this morning.

The 5 black bears for now are still in the concrete enclosures behind the 3 Bears Gift shop and are being moved soon to a more suitable location.

The fire cause both sides of the parkway to be closed for a few hours and power has been restored to the businesses in the area.

So far there has not been a determination as to what caused the fire.

Foothills Parkway Closed due to Fire Started by Lightning

Foothills Parkway East near Cosby Tennessee is now closed due to a wildfire created by lightning from a storm this Monday. At this point the fire is now contained but the road is still closed.

Due to last nights storm you can expect that there can be downed trees in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the surrounding area. There may be possible closures of some of the hiking trails and roads in and around the GSMNP so drive carefully and hike or ride horses with the understanding that a trail may be impassable and you may have to return the way you hiked in.

Wildfire burning on Shields Mountain in Severville Tennessee

A small wildfire forced the evacuation of some residents of cabins by the Pigeon Forge fire department.


When we first arrived on the scene smoke was still filling the valley but flames are no longer visible. Minutes later brush flared up and fire fighters tackled the flames from the deck of 2 cabins and use the help of a wetting agent spraying down trees next to the cabins to keep them from catching on fire.



Since there is no city water or working fire hydrants up on this mountain fire crews are pulling water from homeowners holding tanks to fight the fire.

Bryson City NC Fire: 9 homes and 200 acres destroyed

Bryson City North Carolina: Yet another Smoky Mountains fire is brining in the Grassy Ridge community claiming several mountain ridges in the Pelohi Cove. Dry weather and high winds drove a fire which stared in a valley up ridges devouring everything in its path.

The fires cause is still unknown and under investigation so far has kept more than 100 firefighters busy and prompted a small evacuation Pelohi Cove and several neighboring roads were blocked. Even the Forest Service has been helping contain the blaze by flying in water from Lake Fontana NC.

Not only has Swain County had to deal with wild fires this weekend, brush fires have been reported near the French Broad River, Fairview, and Riceville.

With increased fire danger all throughout the Smokies we ask everyone pay special care with any activity that could spark a wild fire.

Fire Burns in Townsend TN so National Park Service says no to Cataloochee fire.

Today's prescribed burn which was to take place in Cataloochee valley in the Great Smoky Mountains national park has been postponed again.

With relative humilities for too low for a safe burn, the fire management staff decided at 2:00 pm to call off today prescribed burn.

According to the national park service a high fire danger exists right now in both Tennessee as well as North Carolina and there is even a reported wildfire burning just north of the national park boundaries in Townsend TN.