WNC wildfires: Collett Ridge, Edneyville fires do not grow; rain not enough to end drought

Damp, humid weather helped firefighting efforts over the weekend as crews battled to contain wildfires in Western North Carolina.

Most areas in the mountains west of Asheville received about 0.2-0.25 inch of rain from Friday through Sunday morning, with up to 0.35 inch in southern parts of Jackson and Haywood counties, Jeffrey Taylor, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Greer, South Carolina, told the Citizen Times on Nov. 12. Asheville and Henderson County had about 0.15 inch total.

While that was enough to aid firefighting efforts, Taylor said it wasn't enough to affect drought conditions. Much of North Carolina south and west of Asheville is in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Buncombe and Haywood counties are in moderate drought.

Taylor said the next chance of rain in the area is late Wednesday into Thursday, Nov. 15-16, "but it's not going to be a whole lot." Taylor said the forecast amount is up to 0.25 inch of rain.

Will that be enough to slow drought conditions?

"Not in at least the next seven days or so," Taylor said.

Burn bans are in effect across WNC. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park have backcountry campfire bans in place. Backcountry campsites are closed in nine N.C. state parks.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced a state of emergency in North Carolina because of the wildfires.

More: Where are the wildfires in WNC? Check out this map.

Collett Ridge Fire

The largest wildfire in WNC did not grow Nov. 11, according to a Nov. 12 news release from the U.S. Forest Service.

The Collett Ridge Fire in the Nantahala National Forest near Andrews, which started Oct. 23 as a result of lightning, remained at 5,335 acres, about 8.3 square miles, the release said, as crews worked to keep the fire from spreading to communities.

"Along the northern edge of the fire, crews will continue to patrol near the communities of Bolden Branch, Lord’s Way, and the Kimsey Cove area and perform mop-up operations, such as extinguishing any lingering hotspots, as needed," the release said.

"Firefighters will begin thinning fire fuels around residences in the Phillips Creek Road and Pisgah Road area as a protection measure from future fires."

Containment rose from 15% to 18% over the previous day. But until the area gets more rain, the fire could spread.

"Until sufficient precipitation occurs on the fire, expect areas of smoldering and isolated creeping," the release said. "Forest floor leaf litter may continue to burn even with the high relative humidity. Heavy fuel concentrations will retain heat and serve as future heat sources. Primary fire behavior characteristic for the day continues to be limited smoldering and creeping. With a little wind and/or sunshine, small flames may resume in leaf litter."

A road closure is in effect from the intersection of Little Fires Creek Road, 340B, and Fires Creek Road, 340, according to the release. The Rim Trail is temporarily closed for about 7 miles from Big Stamp to Shinbone.

There have been 263 people working to contain the fire.

Poplar Drive Fire

Weather also helped efforts to contain this fire near Edneyville in Henderson County, which has been burning for 10 days.

The size of the fire remained the same, 434 acres, and containment grew from 50% the day before to 70%, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.

Also, personnel has been scaled back from 222 to 119 as of Nov. 12.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

One home, two cabins and three outbuildings have been lost, while another home sustained damage. Area homes remain threatened, according to the news release. N.C. Forest Service personnel, county fire department and sheriff’s office staff are continually assessing the needs of those structures.

To date, two firefighters sustained minor injuries and both were treated and released. Four minor motor vehicle accidents have been reported with no injuries.

DuPont Forest

A smaller fire in DuPont Recreational State Forest is 100% contained, according to Kirsten McDonald, DuPont Forest spokesperson. The forest is in Henderson and Transylvania counties.

The fire burned 36 acres, 5 to 10 of which are on state forest land, while the rest is on private land. No structures were lost, and none were in danger, McDonald said in an email. The cause is unknown.

Cascade Loop and Sheep Mountain Road remain closed. McDonald said they should reopen soon.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC wildfires: Progress in battling Edneyville, Collett Ridge blazes