Tallulah – Windy conditions, low humidity and dense underbrush all combined to make it difficult to control a large brush fire that started around 12:40 p.m. March 30.
Firefighters with both the N.C. and U.S. Forest services – as well as the Graham County Fire Department – responded to the fire in the Jutts Creek area of U.S. 129 South, where a debris-burning fire had escaped into the nearby woods.
In a very short time, the fire had grown to several acres on the steep mountainside.
It was soon evident that more assistance was going to be needed in order to control the fire.
More firefighters from both the federal and state level were brought in, along with a helicopter that dropped water on the fire.
Firefighters were able to stop the fire on a forest service road that turns off Tallulah Road in the area. The fire was contained around 11 p.m. that night, after burning 90 acres. Most of the area burned was U.S. Forest Service land, along with a small section of private land where the fire started.
Crews were back at it Friday, improving control lines and extinguishing hot spots.
Quick breather
Saturday proved to be another busy day.
High winds resulted in numerous downed power lines, some resulting in small fires. There were many reports of trees falling across roads. Duke Energy, countywide fire departments, the N.C. Department of Transportation and members of both the N.C. and U.S. Forest services all had a very busy day.
N.C. Forest Service Ranger Frank Cline said that in a 4-hour period, there were six fires reported and all – except one – were started by downed power lines:
* Atoah Circle, 0.3 acres;
* Atoah Road, 0.7 acres;
* Castlewood, 1 acre;
* Lower Sawyers Creek Road, 1 acre;
* Snowbird Road, 0.2 acres.
Additionally, the Twenty Mile Ranger Station had a roadside fire pop up.