Topton The Haoe Lead Fire, a lightning-caused blaze that has burned more than 3,103 acres in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness of Graham County, turned out to be a blessing for Cherokee County.
Gusty winds whipped up a debris fire at a construction site just off of U.S. 19/74 at the Cherokee/Macon County line Thursday evening.
Along with burning kudzu along a half-mile of highway frontage, the Topton fire spread up steep terrain into the woods and spotted from one ridge top to another as fire agencies deployed resources. A camping resort on the fire’s east flank was threatened but spared, while a campground just west of the fire provided access for firefighters to reach the south and west edges.
Chad Cook, fire management officer for the Cheoah and Tusquittee ranger districts for the U.S. Forest Service, said he had more resources than usual at the Topton fire because of the fire in Graham County.
Without added resources close at hand, the Topton fire would have burned a much larger area than 35 acres, he said. Cook – whose jurisdiction includes Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties – responded to reports of the Topton fire Thursday evening.
He hopped on a Forest Service helicopter staged at Western Carolina Regional Airport in Andrews to respond to the Haoe Lead Fire. As he flew over the Topton fire, he came up with a battle plan.
Before sundown, helicopters dropped three or four bucket loads of water on the blaze. By morning, he had about 80 firefighters in Topton, equipped with bulldozers and reinforced by two helicopters.
Along with help from local fire departments, fire agencies kept the Topton blaze to 35 acres and fully controlled by Easter Sunday.
Spring fire season
Local, state and federal fire crews have been stretched thin in western North Carolina over the last two weeks during an unusually active spring fire season.
Cook said the region has two fire seasons, spring and fall, but the spring fire season is usually worse, especially this one. Just over two weeks ago, torrential rains led to flooding on the Hiwassee River, but a dry spell kicked in just as the spring “green-up” was starting.
Rain starting late Monday and continuing off and on through this week marks the end of the spring fire season this year, Cook said. As trees leaf up and rain falls, the forests will remain moist and resistant to fire.
Over two previous weeks, however, conditions were favorable for fire – warm, dry and breezy, with vegetation still not quite green enough.
The Haoe Lead Fire started with a lightning strike the Thursday after rains caused flooding on the Hiwassee River.
Lightning hit a large dead oak tree west of Lake Santeetlah in Graham County on April 10. As the tree smoldered, a small fire crew hiked in rugged, steep wilderness and cut a line around the tree. They thought they had the situation controlled.
Things changed when smoke was reported three days later.
Cook flew over the scene and saw minimal fire activity. Still, he deployed heavy-lift helicopters to drop water.
“We tried to water it out,” he said.
Using all resources
The terrain includes hardwoods and light fuel on the ground – leaves from previous falls, mainly. The fire area was a 2½-hour hike uphill – “if you’re in good shape,” Cook added.
The water dropped from helicopters wasn’t enough. The fire went from 65 acres to 120 in one afternoon. As of Tuesday afternoon, it was 3,103 acres and just 29% contained, according to a release from the Forest Service’s Southern Area Gray Team, which took over managing the Haoe Lead Fire.
More and more resources converged – 158 firefighters along with equipment and aircraft as of Monday, along with three fire engines and four helicopters. The fire is burning on federal land.
All those resources proved helpful as other fires in the region broke out, including the 35-acre Topton fire late last week, a 21-acre woods fire – also ignited by a debris fire – off Mashburn Road in Unaka that started Sunday, and a 2-acre fire off Piercy Road in Andrews on Friday, also ignited by a burning debris fire, that was controlled by local resources.
Meanwhile, off Sam Davis Road in Swain County, a fire in steep, rugged terrain had burned 350 acres as of Monday and was 0% contained. The cause of that fire, burning on private land, was unknown. Resources at that fire included 96 personnel, five engines, one dozer and three helicopters.