Anderson County wildfire size increases to 210 acres, still 75% contained
Firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze in Anderson County Tuesday, and officials said planned back-burning will likely cause more smoke.
Firefighters from throughout Anderson County, as well as emergency personnel, had been on the scene of the wildfire between Andy's Ridge and Walden's Ridge outside Rocky Top, which has grown from 160 acres to 210 acres.
State forestry officials estimated the fire was 75% contained as of 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 7.
"Forestry is back on scene this morning," Anderson County Emergency Management Agency Director Brice Kidwell said Tuesday. "They are working to reinforce and clean up the lines they've dug over the last few days."
Kidwell said the Division of Forestry has indicated they do plan on doing some more "back-burning" today in efforts to fully contain the wildfire. Because of the planned back-burning, citizens may see more smoke and hazy skies later today, he said.
Firefighters also had been fighting the 475-acre Tioga fire, which was reported as fully contained by the afternoon of Nov. 6.
The Rocky Top wildfire was first reported just after 6 p.m. Nov. 4 on a ridge near Scott Brogan Lane. The cause remains unknown.
Firefighters were working to get lines completed and reinforced, Tennessee Division of Forestry district spokesman Nathan Waters said Monday, adding, "They'll be on it for a while."
One issue of concern, Waters said, is the potential for new fires to start if the wind picks up, due to many trees still having leaves on them.
"A good wind would blow them down," he said, adding the firefighters have been patrolling at night, especially around the wildland-urban interface where there are houses, and will continue to monitor the situation.
"We just have to watch the weather and hope the wind doesn't come up," he said. "We haven't had a ton of wind, that's been a life saver, and the humidity has been up a little bit."
Emergency personnel on the scene have included the volunteer fire departments from Medford and Marlow, the Norris and Rocky Top fire departments, the Anderson County Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee Division of Forestry, and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
Air quality impact seen in Knoxville
While much of the visible smoke has dissipated, the air quality in Knoxville remains poor due to levels of fine particulate matter, the National Weather Service said.
The air quality is not expected to improve over the next few days, but some relief might be in sight with rain forecasted for Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Anderson County fires: Update on wildfire battle near Rocky Top
