Cold Mountain fire may be arson. It burned 220 acres of site made famous in novel

The massive fire that burned two weeks atop North Carolina’s famous Cold Mountain is now under control, the National Forest Service said Wednesday.

However, an investigation is just starting into whether it was accidental or intentional.

“Due to precipitation in the area, the Cold Mountain Fire is controlled and considered out,” forest service officials posted on Facebook. “The fire is suspected to be human caused.”

Investigators say 220 acres of the mountain -- located in Shining Rock Wilderness -- has burned since the fire was reported about 3 a.m. on Nov. 21. The wilderness area was largely closed to hikers and campers as firefighters worked to keep flames from homes and other structures.

At the height of the fire, smoke could be seen 10 miles away on the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the National Park Service. The mountain, which has an elevation of 6,030 feet, is about 35 miles from Asheville, according to Romantic Asheville.

Forest Service officials announced Wednesday that the entirety of area is again open to the public.

The mountain is the chief setting of Charles Frazier’s 1997 best-selling novel “Cold Mountain,” about “a wounded Confederate soldier’s harrowing journey through western North Carolina to reunite with his beloved,” according to The News & Observer.

The film, which was not filmed on the mountain, featured Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger.

This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 12:12 PM.