Latest Update on Fires puts the Tennessee Valley in a State of Emergency

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- According to the Tennessee Emergency Operation Center, we are in a state of emergency due to dry weather conditions causing dangerous wildfires to spread and now investigators have to keep an eye out for arsonists.

“I just want to continue to urge all citizens of Tennessee, whether you’re in west Tennessee or East Tennessee, uh be careful,” said Jai Templeton

As of now, the State’s Forestry Division says it is currently battling 55 wildfires, throughout Tennessee, and more than 12-hundred acres have already been burned.

“Obviously we have very dry conditions coming into Fall. Fall is typically a very active fire season for us that is nothing new. What is new is the sheer number of fires that we’re having to respond to on a daily basis, and we have been doing so since the beginning of October,” said Tim Phelps who is with Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Division of Forestry.

The unusual drought and unpredictable winds have also lead the commissioner of agriculture, Jai Templeton to sign a strict burn ban in 9 counties, including Hamilton County.

“With those dry conditions it makes it uh uh more of an opportunity for arsonists uh to take advantage of that and deliberately set fires,” said Templeton.

Chattanooga resident, Andrew Scott Lewis was most recently arrested and charged with three counts of setting fire to personal property or land, and one count of vandalism of more than 250-thousand dollars.

Lewis told detectives he set three separate fires on the Smith and Blue Swannee Mountain areas this week, destroying more than 300 acres.

“You know, arson is a crime and that’s something that we’re going to take serious and we are not going to tolerate it. Uh, it it it’s more then just that one individual, it’s the individuals all on on these mountains here today and it’s the individuals in in Chattanooga and and North Georgia that that are breathing the smoke,” said Templeton.

The case is still being investigated to make sure no one else was involved in setting the fires.

Officials with the Forestry Division also say they are no longer issuing burn permits within the state, until further notice.