Cherokee fire update
A blaze across more than 1,000 acres continues to burn in Cherokee.
Firefighters are trying to contain what is being called the “Stony Ridge Fire,” which started in the Big Cove community. According to Ray Stamper, public safety communications center manager for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the fire started around 2 p.m. Monday (April 27) and quickly spread due to winds Though initially estimated that 3,000 acres have been affected by the blaze, Stamper said Wednesday morning (April 29) that those figures are incorrect, with actual figures around 1,200 acres.
So far there have been no injuries from the blaze, nor have any homes been lost, Stamper said.
Though officials recommended some of the residents in the area evacuate, Stamper said few people have gone to the shelters that have been set up for those affected by the blaze.
“Initially, we recommended 20 families leave their homes and go to shelters we have set up,” he said. “But only four people out of those 20 families took advantage of that. In an area like this people have family in surrounding counties, and people can congregate there if they feel like they need to. I think we’ve seen some of that.”
According to Lynn Harlan, spokesman for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, wild land firefighters, including the Asheville Hotshots, are on the scene to provide support for local Bureau of Indian Affairs wild land firefighters. Air support is also being provided by the National Forest Service and the National Park service.
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