Wednesday afternoon November 29:
The burn ban is lifted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Park officials warn that fire danger is still high across the park and the area is experiencing drought. Campfires are able to resume because of recent precipitation, cooler temperatures and shorter days.
Campers are reminded that campfires may only be lit in designated areas and that a campfire isn’t fully extinguished until it is cool to the touch.
There aren’t any fires burning in the park at the time of this report.
Buncombe County’s open burning ban that has been in effect since November 6 will be lifted Thursday morning at 8 a.m.
“While drought conditions have not changed, the forecasted weather pattern will not be favorable for fire spread and development,” Buncombe County Fire Marshal Kevin Tipton said. Tipton advises residents to be overly cautious while burning and stresses that all fires must be constantly attended until completely out or extinguished.
Click here to see recent updates to Buncombe County’s fire protection and prevention ordinance.
Monday afternoon November 27:
More than 100 firefighters took a pause from fighting the Black Bear Fire in the Pisgah National Forest to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
While it rained across the region last week, experts warn that the drought isn’t over.
WFAE reports the region needs between 8.5 inches and 11 inches of rain in the next 30 days to get enough rain to move the needle on the dry situation in the region.
Beginning Tuesday, the National Weather Service is calling for hazardous weather in Madison, Buncombe, Haywood, Swain and Graham Counties in the form of single digit wind chill in high elevations.
Just before Thanksgiving, the North Carolina Forest Service announced that the Collett Ridge Fire which burned more than 5,500 acres or almost 9 square miles was completely contained.
The Black Bear Fire near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park(GSMNP) is 80% contained and has burned 1,888 acres, according to the North Carolina Forest Service. Brown Gap Road remains closed for firefighter safety but the rest of the closure area is now open.
All campfires are still banned in the GSMNP.
Clingmans Dome Rd is temporarily closed due to snow and ice, according to GSMNP.
Over the weekend, small fires were reported in Haywood and Buncombe County but were quickly extinguished, according to The Mountaineer.
Clyde and Canton have voluntary water conservation efforts in place. Hendersonville, Connestee Falls in Transylvania County and Fairfield Sapphire in Jackson County have mandatory water conservation in place, according to NC DEQ Division of Water Resources.