Officials issue stark Tennessee fire warning: Drought and wild winds could spell disaster

UPDATE: The campfire restriction has been lifted for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In some of the starkest language they've used since the deadly 2016 wildfire season, Southern Area Coordination Center officials are warning East Tennessee and Western North Carolina counties about the extreme fire risk this week.

The ongoing drought combined with high winds could spell disaster but rain has come as predicted and that's making a difference.

Counties all along the Tennessee-North Carolina state line continue to be under a red flag warning until noon Nov. 21, meaning the region has an increased risk of fire danger. A high wind warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Still, in addition to ongoing burn bans, officials are warning residents and visitors to stay alert and be prepared to move quickly if a fire starts up.

The Southern Area Coordination Center listed the Tennessee mountains as having “significant fire potential” with gusts predicted to blow up to 90 mph.

“Extreme fire behavior is possible despite fuels that are generally not as dry as in 2016,” the Nov. 20 report said.

The high winds – which can get even higher in the Great Smoky Mountains – can cause fires to grow significantly. High winds also can cause downed trees and power lines, which can spark wildfires. Morning winds were recorded as high as 84 mph on Cove Mountain, which sits on the park's boundary.

Drought and high winds led to the Chimney Tops fire blowing outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into neighboring towns seven years ago. Fourteen people died.

Rain is in the East Tennessee forecast

The National Weather Service in Morristown previously predicted rainfall to continue, totaling up to three-fourths of an inch. That rain − and maybe a little more in some places − has come and is expected to stay most of the day.

“I think in the forecast and the hope is by the end of this event this afternoon most places should have received half an inch of rain, but we’ll still have to monitor the fires,” said Allan Diegan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Morristown. “Obviously, anything is better than nothing, but we’ve had exceptional and extreme drought now for several weeks. It’s not going to get us out of the drought – we’ll need several rain events.”

"Rain will continue to move across the area today, then diminish late today into tonight," the online forecast reads. "A few showers will linger later tonight into Wednesday, but Thanksgiving day will be dry and seasonable."

Rich Mountain fire grows

Overnight, the Rich Mountain wildfire on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park border near Townsend grew to 6 acres and initially required evacuations. Those have since been rescinded, according to the Townsend Area Volunteer Fire Department.

The fire is mostly burning in the park. Helicopters dumped water to help stop the flames Nov. 20, and continue to fight it today.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park closes campgrounds and some roads

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced it will close Elkmont and Cades Cove campgrounds and most park roads to protect visitors, employees and park resources ahead of the high wind gusts and red flag warning.

What will close?

Park rangers started closing roads by early afternoon Nov. 20. Visitors were told to leave as soon as possible. The following roads are closed:

• Newfound Gap (Highway 441 from Sugarlands Visitor Center to Smokemont Campground)

• Clingmans Dome Road

• Cherokee Orchard Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

• Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley

• Little River Road between the Townsend Wye to Sugarlands Visitor Center

• Laurel Creek Road and Cades Cove Loop Road

• Cataloochee Road

• Lakeview Drive

What will remain open? This is subject to change

• Gatlinburg Bypass

• Foothills Parkway West (from Look Rock to Highway 129)

• Other park roads will remain open as long as safely possible.

• The Spur connecting Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg will remain open as long as safe vehicle passage exists.

Large fire burning in North Carolina

Over the weekend, fire officials in North Carolina started to get a handle on the Black Bear Fire within the Pisgah National Forest, right off Interstate 40 near the Tennessee state line.

As of Nov. 21 the fire is at 1,888 acres and is at 42% contained, according to the North Carolina Forest Service. Officials in the Southern Area Coordination Center previously warned it could see substantial growth and go beyond the Tennessee line, though the likelihood of that occurring now is considerably less because of the rains.

Around 10:15 a.m. Nov. 21 the North Carolina Forest Service provided an update on the fire, saying the rain has knocked the potential of fire growth down considerably. Though flames may have died down there will still be plenty of areas smoldering, so smoke will continue to be an issue.

"Flare-ups and increased fire activity will not occur with wind. Fire behavior today (Tuesday) will be minimal," the update said.

Because of the Black Bear Fire, portions of the Appalachian Trail remain closed from I-40 to Brown Gap, including the Groundhog Creek Shelter, according to the North Carolina Forest Service.

Drivers on I-40 should watch for delays.

Where else is there a fire risk?

Overnight there were two separate fires burning in Cocke County, though no evacuations were ordered. One of those fires, the Cabbage County Road fire, has been contained. It burned 15 acres. The second, Wilton Springs Fire, was at 50% contained at 3 a.m., according to the Cocke County Emergency Management Agency.

In Anderson County, the Windrock Mountain fire that was first reported late last week had grown to an estimated 328 acres, though it was considered 95% contained by Nov. 21, according to the Tennessee Department for Forestry.

"Forestry is asking any people who might be in the area of the G1-G2 trail to use extreme caution," Anderson County Emergency Management Director Brice Kidwell said in a news release Nov. 20. "Winds are predicted to increase today and, with the mountain's terrain being altered by this fire, any high winds could uproot some trees in that area."

The Southern Area Coordination Center also warns of high risk of fire in Middle Tennessee, northern Alabama, northwest Georgia and far-western Virginia.

Sevier County and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are already under a burn ban, which includes campfires, fire pits and fires to burn fallen leaves.

Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formally known as Twitter @tyler_whetstone.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Great Smoky Mountains National Park shuts roads, campgrounds for fire risk