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Wildfire Closes Chilhowee Section of Cherokee National Forest

489 views · Published 11 July 2012 · 2:21 · Indexed 6 November 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

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by John Madewell A wildfire in Polk County has caused a road, campground and trails to be closed in the Cherokee National Forest.The Ocoee Ranger District is calling the blaze the "Powerline Fire."Last Thursday, strong, gusting winds blew trees into power lines running across the Chilhowee section. Firefighters believe that triggered the blaze.U.S. Forest Service firefighter Alex Faught said, "It's just so dry right now and the conditions are pretty extreme now for this time of year for us, it just took a little spark."About 100 people have been working to control this fire. It's estimated it will burn 1,600 acres before complete containment.And firefighters are using Forest Service Road 77, which is closed, as a firefighting tool. FS Road 77 serves as a natural border on one side of the blaze. In addition, they're using fire to fight this fire.Crews use diesel fueled drip torches to start fires along the road. The underbrush lights almost immediately. The desired effect is for the lit fires to meet the uncontrolled fire and rob it of any fuel. "The main fire is still a pretty good ways from our containment lines so what we're trying to do is to burn along those containment lines to give us a buffer zone," said Faught. "Whenever the main fire comes to our containment line, it'll hit the fuel that's already been burned prior to hitting our main containment line which is the roads."On Sunday, park rangers escorted campers out of the Chilhowee Recreation area. Information officer Nina Barrow said the area will be off limits until the fire is brought under control. Barrow said, "Our campground at Chilhowee is closed and our trails in the Chilhowee Recreation Area are also closed so that has been an impact on our recreational visitors."Two days ago, Eric Downen drove up from Jacksonville, Florida to camp and raft the Ocoee River. He chose the Thunder Rock campsite which is a few miles east of the closed Chilhowee campsite. ownen and his son Evan saw the wildfires on the way in. But he was prepared for his trip, "I called in advance and was asking about animals and stuff. The people told me that there was wildfires going on and they said they have seen a few more bears and animals running around because of the fire."Faught estimates in the past two weeks, 10 fires have happened inside Cherokee National Forest, with the "Powerline Fire" being the worst. He added this isn't typical. "For this part of the country and this time of the year, we're seeing some pretty extreme fire behavior, you know. Flames lengths anywhere from 3 feet to 10-foot-high, depending on what kind of fuel it's in."Although the fire has shut down the Chilhowee section of Cherokee National Forest, other parts remain open.Whitewater rafting and kayaking aren't affected. Hiking and mountain biking trails at the Ocoee Whitewater Center are also open.

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