Wildfire burns hundreds of acres, rental cabins on Cove Mountain
Wildfire burns hundreds of acres, rentalcabins on Cove Mountain
1 March 2007
published by www.wate.com
Sevier County, Wate, USA — Fire crews from several agencies are workingto contain a blaze that burned 500 acres on Cove Mountain, nearWears Valley, Thursday.
The fire also destroyed six rental cabins on the top of aridge. Only two cabins on the ridge are still standing. The rest were reduced tosmoking chimneys and foundations.
Only one of the cabins was rented Wednesday night. The couple stayingthere was safely evacuated Thursday morning before 6:00.
“It’s one of those situations, we tell people, clear the brush awayfrom your house. They didn’t do that in this instance,” says NathanWaters, with the state Division of Forestry, referring to one cabin that burned. “Theyhad pine trees right up next to it. All I can say is, safety first. We can’t puthuman lives between the fire and structure.
Residents of several homes along J.L. Myers Road were evacuated.
“We’re supposed to be getting 30, 40, 50 mph wind gusts andeven with this rain, this fire is burning like crazy,” Waters says.
Firefighters from Wears Valley, the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department andthe state’s Division of Forestry arrived early Thursday morning after residents reportedflames on the south side of the mountain.
Crews are working on both sides of the mountain to try to contain the blaze.
High winds are making their jobs even more difficult. Firefighters say thewind is moving the fire so fast they haven’t been able to establish a linearound it.
Smoke from the blaze is visible for miles.
There’s no word yet on how the fire started. No injures have beenreported.
