N.C. Forest Service Region 3 Fire Daily Update – Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023
The Poplar Drive Fire in Henderson County is now 98% contained and remains 434 acres. One home, two cabins, one uninhabitable mobile home, one uninhabitable cabin and two outbuildings were destroyed. One home was damaged. Firefighters continue to reinforce containment lines and target any smoldering pockets that remain.
The Alum Knob Fire in Madison County is 36 acres and is now 100% contained. Firefighters continue to patrol the fire footprint and monitor for residual smoldering.
The Elk Creek, Tripplett, and Branch fires are currently being mopped up by firefighters. Elk Creek Fire in Watauga started Nov. 8 and is 225 acres. The Tripplett Fire in Wilkes County is 107 acres. Both Elk Creek Fire and Tripplett Fire are now 100% contained. No homes were damaged or destroyed. The Tripplett Fire also started Nov. 8. The Branch Fire in Wilkes County, which started Nov. 9, is 80 acres and is now 90% contained. The cause of these three fires remain under investigation.
The Collett Ridge Fire is burning in Cherokee and Clay counties. The fire is 5,447 acres in size and 80% contained. The increase in acreage is due to a strategic firing operation conducted Nov. 15. The Collett Ridge Fire is being managed under unified command between the Southern Area Blue Team and the N.C. Forest Service. Information on this fire can be found at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ncncf-2023-collett-ridge-fire. The cause of Collett Ridge was determined to be lightning.
As of Nov. 16, 704 fires have burned on state and private lands statewide since Nov. 1.
Regional Weather: Partly to mostly sunny Thursday with highs above normal. Southeast winds are forecast at 5-10 mph with gusts reaching 10-20 mph. A cold front approaching Friday will bring scattered chances of rain to the area, with greater percentage of accumulation occurring at the NC/TN border and decreasing eastward. Gusty northwesterly winds are expected behind the front late morning through mid-afternoon Saturday. Gusts of 20 to 35 mph will be possible in some areas in the western region of the state.
Burn Ban Notice: Effective 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, a burn ban was issued for Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Catawba, Haywood, Iredell, Lincoln, Madison, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties. Read the full news release. Effective 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, a burn ban was issued for Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain and Transylvania counties. Read the full news release. Both bans remain in effect until further notice.
Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A “TFR” is in place on the Collett Ridge and Poplar Drive fires. Complete information is at https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. Flying drones within a TFR designated area is unlawful. Flying a drone near or around a wildfire compromises the safety of pilots and interferes with firefighting efforts.
For fire updates, visit https://www.ncforestservice.gov/fire_control/sit_report.htm or follow the N.C. Forest Service on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NCForestService.
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