Updates on Mountain Fires

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The fire on Flipper Bend and Mowbray Mountain continues to burn, while crews with the Tennessee forestry division continue to fight to get the flames under control.

Most of the wildfire has already been contained, but officials tell me dry weather conditions aren’t making things easier as crews are working to save both the wildlife and the homes of those who live in that area.

Four days after the fire on Flipper Bend and Mowbray Mountain started, and you can still see the smoke from miles away.

Shannon Gann, who is the Area Forester states, “It’s not gone be completely done for a couple weeks. I mean, we can get a line around it, and we just hoping we can hold a line but then we’re going to have to do a lot of mop up cause there’s a lot of dead trees and other trees on the line. So we’re going to have to keep an eye on it for probably a couple of weeks, we’ll be coming out.”

With the state forestry division, says a crew of about 40 men and women have been working tirelessly for days to control the wildfire, and have managed to get about 80 percent of it contained so far but there’s still plenty of work to be done.

“We had a line all the way around it last night, but due to the wind, it broke out on the north flank and so now we’re working today to establish that line. We’ve got air tankers that are coming in–that have come in most of the day to help us with that line, and so we’re we’re doing pretty good,” said Shannon.

More than a thousand acres have already been burned, and dozens of local residents were asked to evacuate their homes tonight. The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation at the moment, but experts say unusually dry weather conditions are making it even more difficult to get the blaze under control.

“So we’re asking people to please don’t burn. Camp fires, or ceremonial fires, bon fires or anything like that cause it’s just so dry. I know you think we’re in the middle of a parking lot, or I’ve got a ring around it, but the embers will fly, especially with this wind, and they will go over to–it’s amazing how far they will go and they will start a fire. Anything will start a fire right now, it’s just extremely dry,” said Shannon.

Tennessee Forestry officials also say there is no current burn ban, but say they aren’t issuing any burning permits at the moment.