|
Contact: John McCutcheon, 423-752-5213 x135
Dade County, GA: On Monday, July 11, a wildland fire was reported on the western slope of Lookout Mountain within the boundaries of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, southwest of Covenant College.At various times since the report, personnel from the Georgia Forestry Commission, the West Brow Fire and Rescue, the United States Forest Service (USFS), and the National Park Service (NPS) have worked diligently to suppress the fire. As of Wednesday, July 20 the 20.38 acre fire was reported as being 100% contained. Currently, a crew has been left behind to monitor the situation for the next several days.Trail closures on Lookout Mountain on the western slope remain in effect until further notice for the southern portion of the Bluff Trail, the Jackson Gap Trail, and the John Smartt Trail. NPS law enforcement rangers have concluded the wildland fire was started by an illegal campfire on the bluff. Federal charges are pending and an investigation is ongoing. The success experienced in containing this wildland fire was greatly aided by the participation of private landowners near the park boundary who supported efforts to create defensible spaces around their homes. To learn more about how you can make your neighborhood safer from wildland fire, please visit the "Firewise Communities" website maintained by the National Fire Protection Association at: http://www.firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/be-firewise/home-and-landscape.aspx?sso=0 |
Last updated: July 22, 2016