Forest Service to begin rehab efforts with wildfire 90 percent contained

HOT SPRINGS - Firefighters have battled a wildfire that has spread to more than 5,000 acres in the Pisgah National Forest causing the closure of multiple trails along the Appalachian Trail for more than a week, but Friday the fire was 90 percent contained and officials started to shift their attention toward repair and rehabilitation efforts.

The Silver Mine Fire, located 1 mile east of Hot Springs in Madison County, began April 21 and quickly grew to 2,500 acres. Rain moved into the area the next day, but fire activity continued to pick up and crews were unable to fully extinguish the flames over the weekend.

Firefighters started burnout operations Monday, which have led the fire to increase in size and containment, officials say. By Tuesday containment efforts reached 40 percent and by Wednesday the fire was 60 percent contained.

The fire also increased in size, which was expected. Crews set controlled fires within the secured containment lines, said spokesman Bruce MacDonald with the U.S. Forest Service.

By Friday the fire was at 5,300 acres with officials expecting its final size to be around 6,000 acres.

Rainfall has also helped in fire suppression efforts with approximately three-quarters of an inch of rain falling Wednesday, said spokeswoman Lisa Jennings with the U.S. Forest Service.

“That rain was great,” she said. “It has helped reduce burning to the extent that firefighters have begun working with representatives of the Appalachian Trial Conservancy to evaluate trail conditions and plan the work needed to prepare the trail for reopening.”

Even though officials have checked trails they will remain closed until safety concerns are addressed and the fire reaches 100 percent containment, Jennings said.

Trails closed include the Appalachian Trail from Hot Springs to Hurricane Gap, Roundtop Ridge, Lovers Leap Loop and Pump Gap Trail.

The public is asked to heed signs posted at roads and trailheads and to stay away from fire areas and closed trails. Violators will be given citations.

Over recent days, smoke from the fire has reduced and is no longer a big concern, but officials say it can still be expected and may settle in low areas overnight.

Several firefighters remained on scene Friday monitoring the fire to make sure flames were not rekindling.

Officials are also turning their attention to post-fire repair, Jennings said.

“They’ve been going out with representatives from the Appalachian Trail Conservatory to check out how it looks in that area, what the trees look like and to see if (the fire) did any damage to the trail beds,” Jennings said. “We’re making sure fire lines aren’t causing erosion and are starting to look at long term plans for the forest as we wrap up the fire.”

Initial reports say that trails and trees look “pretty good” in the area, she added.

Long-term plans will be developed to ensure that the health of the forest wasn’t compromised by the fire and will determine any rehabilitation efforts.

Officials have also determined that the fire was human caused, Jennings said. However, officials do not know the specific details to how the fire started.

“It could be arson, escaped brush fire or child’s play (for example) if children were playing with fireworks,” she said. “We don’t know exactly what caused it, but we know it wasn’t a lightning strike.”

A lightning strike is the only natural cause that would start a wildfire and there were none recorded when the Silver Mine Fire was ignited, Jennings added.

Firefighters have had a difficult time containing the Silver Mine Fire due to its close proximity to Hot Springs and rough terrain.

Firefighters not only had to battle flames, but they had to be concerned with structures being threatened and the public being aware of closed trails and roads, Jennings said. There were also issues with smoke and firefighters had to work to minimize the smoke impact on the public.

While fighting fire, firefighters have had to go up and down the mountain, which was also tough, Jennings added.

“That makes these firefighting efforts difficult,” she said. “The one thing that has helped us though is the history of wildfires in the area.”

The U.S. Forest Service, North Carolina Forest Service, local fire departments and North Carolina Emergency Management have assisted in fire suppression efforts.