Natural Bridge State Resort Park fire spreads, trailheads closed

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
A wide view shows the largest arch on Ian Teal's 900-acre property where a 180 room resort is being considered to be built. "This area could have just as easily been named a State Park itself," Teal said. "It's a part of the same ridge as the Natural Bridge and has the same topography." Nov. 3, 2020
A wide view shows the largest arch on Ian Teal's 900-acre property where a 180 room resort is being considered to be built. "This area could have just as easily been named a State Park itself," Teal said. "It's a part of the same ridge as the Natural Bridge and has the same topography." Nov. 3, 2020

A wildfire at Natural Bridge State Resort Park that has expanded to more than 100 acres has prompted the indefinite closure of several areas inside Kentucky's Red River Gorge nature preserve and brought out a substantial response from local emergency agencies.

About 100 firefighters from the Kentucky Division of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service Daniel Boone National Forest and other local fire departments are working to control the blaze, which began late Monday, a release from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said. The fire had consumed just five acres as of Tuesday but had intensified significantly by midday Wednesday, with winds pushing having pushed it over containment lines at the Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Slade, Kentucky.

“What makes Natural Bridge unique, namely its arches and cliff lines, also makes it extremely difficult to control wildfire,” Brandon Howard, director of the Kentucky Division of Forestry and state forester, said. “Hand crews with fire rakes have to construct containment lines while maneuvering in, around, and sometimes over cliffs.”

The National Weather Service at Louisville issued a Red Flag warning until 8 p.m. for large parts of Indiana and Kentucky. This means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Red River Gorge is still open but the Natural Bridge State Resort Park cottages, the Woodland Center, trailheads, and parking lots, with the exception of the lodge lot, are closed until further notice. Access to Mill Creek Lake is also closed to the public.

The release did not say when areas will reopen and called on visitors to be cautious in areas that are not closed.

Red flag conditions, which indicate an increased risk of fire danger, are in Thursday's forecast, due to an expected cold front with low humidity. The release recommended taking extra precautions with any planned debris fires and campfires.

Updates are available on the Kentucky State Parks website on the Natural Bridge State Resort Park’s Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fire at Natural Bridge State Resort spreads, affecting Red River Gorge