On Monday, a fire led to road, trail, and campsite closures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
According to USA Today, the blaze, which has been named the Flint Gap Fire, was estimated to have covered 10 acres by midday Tuesday. Moreover, the closures of amenities remained in place through Wednesday. Luckily, recent press releases did confirm that no structures had been impacted by the blaze.
The fire is burning near Hannah Mountain, in Tennessee, which is inside the park. Officials have said that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. While the park spans across east Tennessee and into North Carolina, the Flint Gap Fire is located only 50 miles east of Knoxville. Thus, the blaze has yet to cross over the border and spill into North Carolina.
In an effort to fight the flames, the Tennessee National Guard has provided aviation support. Specifically, from Tuesday afternoon and through Wednesday, the Guard provided bucket drops onto the flames. The efforts were in partnership with fire personnel as well.
Flint Gap Fire Burns in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
In addition to the bucket drops, more support was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday morning, and throughout the days that will follow. A type 3 helicopter, a type 3 incident commander, and 3 suppression modules consisting of 7-10 personnel each were expected to arrive. Their presence will hopefully end the blaze's burn, and reopen the previously closed amenities.
The closures in the park included the following: backcountry campsites 14, 15, and 16, as well as Parson Branch Road. Likewise, Rabbit Creek Trail, from Abrams Creek to Cades Cove is closed. Finally, Hannah Mountain Trail, from Parson Branch Road to Little Bottom Trail, is closed.
The flames in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are not the first to catch a news cycle this summer. In California, the Park Fire made for plenty of conversation throughout late July. The Park Fire was the largest in the state in several years, growing to over 300,000 acres at its peak.
Obviously, the Flint Gap Fire is quite a bit smaller, and thankfully, more easily controlled.
