With the falling leaves of autumn comes fall fire season and dry fuels in the forest.
Local firefighters with the N.C. Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service and volunteer fire departments were busy with small brush fires over the weekend.
Around 6 p.m. Friday, a brush fire was reported on Everett Jenkins Road in the Stecoah community. Forest Service Ranger Frank Cline stated that quick response from the Stecoah Fire Department kept this fire at less than one acre, as crews had a control line around the fire when other firefighters arrived.
The fire had escaped from some debris burning and threatened two homes.
At 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, the U.S. Forest Service discovered a small fire on Massey Branch Road in the Snowbird community.
It appeared that someone had set fire to a discarded mattress and the fire had spread to nearby brush and leaves. The fire was controlled after burning less than an acre.
There was also a trailer fire on Five Points Road in Robbinsville, which was quickly extinguished by the Graham County Fire Department.
This fire did not escape into any woodland.
Forestry officials advise anyone doing outdoor burning to be extremely cautious – or to wait until an adequate amount of rain has fallen – to decrease the high-fire danger.