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Several fires plague area

By Lisa Majors-Duff
Fire at Uncle Bill's Flea Market Herald photo by Lynn Hotaling

FIRE AT FLEA MARKET - A trash fire left unattended on the banks of the Tuckaseigee River last Thursday (March 23) burned its way into a lumber pile and this storage shed at Uncle Bill's Flea Market. The structure was fully involved when firefighters arrived on the scene at 1:48 p.m., said Kent Moore, Qualla Fire and Rescue assistant chief. With a pump station set up in the river, the fire was quickly knocked down, Moore said. The shed, which was owned by Ben Seay, was a total loss due to fire, smoke and water damage. Responding in addition to Qualla were personnel from the Sylva, Cullowhee and Cherokee fire departments.

Weekend forest fire claims nearly 200 acres
A brush fire that got out of control burned nearly 200 acres in Dicks Creek community during the weekend.

The fire, which started Saturday, burned 113 acres of federal property and 84 acres of private land, said Authur Dillard, district ranger for the N.C. Division of Forestry. Though no structures were lost during the blaze, some buildings were threatened, he said.

A joint firefighting effort of state and federal authorities was required, with two air tankers and two helicopters used in addition to personnel. Firefighters stayed on the scene until Monday. Rains Monday night and early Tuesday morning helped to contain the situation, Dillard said.

Though the fire threat was listed as low on Tuesday, Dillard warned that a day's worth of high winds is all it would take to change the classification. Low humidity, high winds and warmer temperatures are all the ingredients needed for a forest fire, he said.

"We'd like to ask people to stay with their fires and make sure they're out before they leave," Dillard said. "If at all possible, don't burn brush until after 4 p.m. when the threat of winds have died down."

To reduce the threat of similar forest fires, Highlands District Ranger Erin Bronk of the U.S. Forest Service has recommended a dormant-season prescribed burn on a portion of the Coward Bald area of the Roy Taylor Forest. This burn will encompass approximately 1,050 acres over a two-year period, she said.

The burn should start by mid-April, with the lower 500 acres being burned first to reduce the fire fuels found in the forest floor, to improve wildlife habitat and to improve visual quality, Bronk said.

Cullowhee firefighters respond to structure, brush fires
Cullowhee firefighters have had a busy week, responding to three structure fires and four brush fires since last Wednesday.

Firefighters were called to a structure fire on Pressley Creek March 22 at 12:30 p.m. A home owned by Mike Clark and rented by Val Hamilton was damaged by a grease fire in the kitchen. Sylva firefighters assisted with mutual aid.

A structure fire in Wayehutta community at 11:20 p.m. Thursday, March 23, totally involved a trailer rented by Dean Holt, who "barely got out," said Cullowhee Fire Department Assistant Chief Keith Ashe. The fire, which started near the wood stove, eventually involved about an acre of surrounding forest. Sylva firefighters and personnel with the N.C. Forest Service assisted on the call, Ashe said.

An electrical fire Monday, March 27, caused minor damage to a home on Caney Fork owned by Barbara Connell. No injuries were reported in this fire, which was reported at 1:30 p.m.

The four brush fires in the Cullowhee area were the result of burning piles getting out of control, Ashe said. No substantial acreage damage was reported.

Back to Archive: 03/30/00.