NC mountain wildfire of unknown cause rages on, closing roads, popular trail
At least 100 firefighters battled a wildfire of unknown cause Sunday that closed roads and a popular trail in the North Carolina mountains, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
The fire burned areas heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene near the Woodlawn community in McDowell County, according to a 2 p.m. Forest Service update.
Most of the flames were on Graveyard Mountain, east of Highway 221 and south of American Thread Road, along cliffs above the North Fork of the Catawba River, officials said.
Known as the North Fork Fire, the fire spread Friday before a half-inch of rain fell overnight Saturday, according to the Forest Service.
At 644 acres, the fire was 65% contained, according to the update.
Friday, firefighters “took advantage of good weather to complete burnout operations,” officials said. “Much of the increase in fire size was due to these controlled, firefighting operations within the established containment lines.”
The rain wasn’t enough to extinguish the fire, and flames continued “in areas of extreme hurricane damage,” according to the report. “These large piles of trees burned with high intensity, are now holding residual heat.”
Firefighters on Saturday put out hot spots near the fire line. No structures are at risk, officials said.
“Smoke is still expected, but should be limited to interior burning within the containment lines,” the Forest Service said. “Smoke impacts to communities around the fire are expected to be minimal, and air quality should improve.”
The Mountains to Sea Trail remained closed between Highway 221, Bald Mountain Road, Forest Service Road 106 and Graveyard Mountain Road.
“Recreationists are asked to avoid the area,” officials said.
Crooked Creek fire
On Thursday, firefighters contained another wildfire in McDowell County, the Crooked Creek fire that previously forced families to evacuate from their rural Western North Carolina homes.
The fire started Wednesday afternoon after a tree fell on a power line near 4131 Bat Cave Road in Old Fort, according to a county government news release. High winds caused the fire to spread around the Crooked Creek community and prompted road closures.
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 2:17 PM.