Blue Ridge Parkway bans backcountry campfires due to increased fire danger in WNC
ASHEVILLE — The Blue Ridge Parkway is temporarily banning backcountry campfires “effective immediately” due to increased fire danger in Western North Carolina and southwest Virginia, according to a Nov. 9 news release.
The campfire ban will be in effect until further notice, “to ensure public safety and to provide the highest degree of protection to park resources,” the release said.
Fire restrictions apply to shelters and more primitive camping areas on the parkway, and do not include “front country, year-round picnic areas,” the release specifies. While campfires are still allowed in developed areas, they must be confined to designated fire rings and grills.
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“The National Park Service asks front country picnickers to reduce the risk of wildfires by extinguishing fires completely until ashes are cool to the touch,” the release said.
The parkway is the most visited site in the National Park Service, drawing some 15.7 million visitors in 2022. It stretches for 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, runs through Asheville, and ends at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance in Cherokee.
With the increase in fire danger, as multiple wildfires burn over 7.5 square miles of WNC, NPS says visitors should use extra caution on public lands including national parks and forests in North Carolina and Virginia.
“Park officials are working with multiple area agencies in response to current and predicted weather and fuel conditions,” the release said.
The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests restricted campfires starting Nov. 8, but are also allowing campfires in U.S. Forest Service-provided fire pits, metal fire rings, or pole-mounted grills, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release. Currently, the largest wildfire in North Carolina — the 6.1-square-mile Collett Ridge Fire — is located in Nantahala National Forest.
Outdoor burning bans are in effect for 30 counties, mostly along and west of Interstate 77, due to hazardous forest fire conditions, N.C. Forest Service said.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway issues campfire ban due to increased fire danger
