Sequatchie County firefighters gaining upper hand on wildfire

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- On Sunday, a blaze blanked the skies of Sequatchie County.Firefighters from all over the county and region rushed to Fredonia and Daus Mountains to fight this wildfire.

Brian Rheuling, the Sequatchie County EMA Director, said, “This is the largest fire we’ve probably in 20 years or better. This is one of the largest and fastest moving wildfires we’ve ever dealt with here.”

The fire located on the top of Daus and Fredonia Mountains is 80 percent contained as of Monday afternoon.

It started on Sunday afternoon and grew to a size of approximately 450 acres, requiring the evacuation of nearly 50 households.

Officials say they know why the fire started.

Rheuling said, “The cause of the fire from what I’m gathering is possibly a resident that decided he needed to burn some leaves at his house. He thought he had put them out. At the point he thought put it out and went inside. When he came back out, it was going. It was moving up the mountain at that time.”

One location affected Woodcock Cove Climbing Area on the top of Daus Mountain. 

The soil is charred and there are still smoldering spots as of Monday.

The Southeastern Climbers Coalition who own that area said, “We have not been out there yet to assess the damage. We are very grateful for all of the firefighters and first responders who worked through the night to contain the fire and are glad that our neighbors on the mountain are safe. We are asking folks to avoid the area until we get a chance to assess the damage and mitigate any potential hazards.”

There has been some damage caused by the fire, but the worst case scenario has been avoided.

Rheuling said, “Some timber framing on porches have been burnt, siding melted off… storage buildings have been burnt to the ground, some vacant residences are gone, people’s outdoor dwellings. No structural residences have been destroyed at this time with people living in them.”

As firefighters, many of them volunteers have fought the blaze, the county has rallied around them.

The Sequatchie County Rescue Squad has received hundreds of food and monetary donations since Sunday afternoon to replenish their first responders.

Michael Scoggins, the chief of that rescue squad, said, “We were getting phone calls, messages on Facebook, “How can we help? How can we help? Then when we come off of the mountain we seen all of this that the public had donated.”

Scoggins says this is far from the first time the community has stepped up.

He said, “Anything that’s ever happened, people stepped up and done whatever they can do.”

They are still taking donations as firefighters finish off the blaze either in person or through their Facebook page.