First Flood, now Fire!

Not close enough to evacuate but it may get me out of a little work. I was planning on working on 2 jobs tomorrow. But the one i was heading to after lunch is in lake lure. Got a text that 64. 74 and 9 are closed. So cant work if I cant get there. The lakes less than 15 miles from the house though.
 
No threat here but I had to go to Knoxville on Tues and it was smokey the whole way,about 65 miles there.
 
2 of the 3 mountains around Chattanooga have been burning for the past month. With the drop in temps over the past week has caused the smoke to settle in the valley/city. Hospitals have recorded hundreds of admissions due to shortness of breath, etc. Numerous neighborhoods up on the hills have been evac'd. Apparently things are bad enough that FEMA has authorized significant funds and resources to fight the fires.

Also, we've had the worst drought on record. Basically no rainfall since...May? Getting ridiculous. You'd think with all the snakes I killed and hung in trees in the spring it would have bought us some rainfall, but not the case.
 
tkeaton said:
2 of the 3 mountains around Chattanooga have been burning for the past month. With the drop in temps over the past week has caused the smoke to settle in the valley/city. Hospitals have recorded hundreds of admissions due to shortness of breath, etc. Numerous neighborhoods up on the hills have been evac'd. Apparently things are bad enough that FEMA has authorized significant funds and resources to fight the fires.

Also, we've had the worst drought on record. Basically no rainfall since...May? Getting ridiculous. You'd think with all the snakes I killed and hung in trees in the spring it would have bought us some rainfall, but not the case.
Click to expand...
I killed two on Mon.
 
Ha that's not pre mature evacuation, that's pre impregnation evacuation!

I'm 18 miles from lake lure, several of my customers have been evacuated from their homes and others can see the fires glowing at night.. just the other side of their mountain. Wild stuff. First time I've ever really got to see just how much the smoke lingers, attenuates the sun, ash falling, etc. I swear i saw some ash falling at my house. Just a few bits every now and again. My kids go to school in lake lure and this past week, they were not allowed outside during pe, etc due to air quality. Now you can't even drive thru lake lure on 64/74A/9 thru Chimney Rock because they closed the road due to the fire. From ingles markets to the 64/74A/9 split is closed. Fire crossed into buncombe county too. Something like 1100 acres @ 5% containment.... Not good. That's 1.5 square miles. Heard another 2,000 acres expected to burn before it's out, not 100% on reliability of that statement though, second/third hand information. No joke up there though, it's worse than the CRP fire a few years ago. That was 880? Acres?
 
I came back from FT Knox yesterday. There was a fire you could see from I75 near Somerset, KY. There was another right in Rocky Top, TN I believe. Smoke was fairly thick on the interstate in those areas. When I got off I26 onto HWY74, the Lake Lure smoke was pretty thick. That was probably 20ish miles away. The smoke from the South Mountains was all the way in Kings Mountain yesterday. Not near as bad as KY/TN or the Lake Lure smoke, but it was very noticeable.
 
The Asheville area is socked in with smoke. Man I hope we get some rain to help with fighting these fires before anyone gets hurt or loses anymore property.
 
I live a few miles from the south mountain fire off 226. It's hazy at the house but we have a small mountain between us and the fires. It deflects most of the smoke. I'll take a pic in the am when I get home.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
The fire is getting close to our friends and family on Watershed rd Morganton. My mother lives on Watershed and I went out there yesterday evening to check on things. Smoke is billowing up from the ridge behind her home....maybe 1/2 mile away. The forestry guys said we probably have 2 days before evacuation. They also said they had identified every residence on Watershed/rich mountain rd and would be calling for evac as needed door to door. I have gone online looking for info on the fires location and can't find much of anything. Seems like a map with the fire lines would be easily found...
Praying for lots of friends that live there as it used to be my home area last year. Some friends just built a log home and have not moved in yet. From what I can tell it may be gone as it's a good ways up Rich mtn rd.
Please Pray for rain.
 
Not directly effect just been smoked in the last week... Most of my forest service friends have been on all the big fires. We're told they are here indefinitely until the fires are out or contained. Been working 16-20 hrs a day for the last two weeks

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
hunterdan said:
The fire is getting close to our friends and family on Watershed rd Morganton. My mother lives on Watershed and I went out there yesterday evening to check on things. Smoke is billowing up from the ridge behind her home....maybe 1/2 mile away. The forestry guys said we probably have 2 days before evacuation. They also said they had identified every residence on Watershed/rich mountain rd and would be calling for evac as needed door to door. I have gone online looking for info on the fires location and can't find much of anything. Seems like a map with the fire lines would be easily found...
Praying for lots of friends that live there as it used to be my home area last year. Some friends just built a log home and have not moved in yet. From what I can tell it may be gone as it's a good ways up Rich mtn rd.
Please Pray for rain.
Click to expand...
Fire lines a continuously changing. And honestly they can't accurately make them unless they have it contained

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Loganwayne said:
Fire lines a continuously changing. And honestly they can't accurately make them unless they have it contained

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
OK, maybe an aerial shot could be posted for people near the fire by the state? With all the planes flying over and drones everywhere nowdays a shot of the fire from above seems little to ask...

A fire is just as destructive as a hurricane and we get updated on hurricanes every step of the way.
 
hunterdan said:
OK, maybe an aerial shot could be posted for people near the fire by the state? With all the planes flying over and drones everywhere nowdays a shot of the fire from above seems little to ask...

A fire is just as destructive as a hurricane and we get updated on hurricanes every step of the way.
Click to expand...

I get what your saying hurricanes you can track with radar. The fire you can't really tell with a satellite view you can only see where the smoke is at. Fire could be a couple hundred yards in front of the smoke burning so hot it doesn't produce much smoke there is still enough cover to hide most flames. If wind changes and blows over fire itself all you see is a smoke cloud. Planes and helicopters have been ground three days out of the last seven the smoke has been so bad. Air space above the fire is closed only emergency personal are allowed to fly. I've seen a lot of pics of the fire at night or from a parkway over look but that's it.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Also, hurricanes can't be fought.
Every single minute of work from every available body is spent to fight the fires. time spent updating webites is time you are losing ground to a fire.
 
Here's where I actually found some maps of the progression, aerial videos...

All I was saying is this info. below in the link should be easier to obtain. When a fire roars through your neighborhood and everyone is guessing as to where it's at and where it looks to be going...it creates panic. I understand that fires are unpredictable but having an idea as to where they are.... helps.



Burke County Emergency Reporter | Facebook
 
Back
Top