Scattered light rain finally brought some relief to state and local firefighters who have fought 67 fires since Nov. 10 in upper East Tennessee.
The fires have burned more than 6,300 acres, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry, and many of them, including three in Anderson County, have been suspected arsons.
Firefighters were still working to contain one large fire on Cross Mountain near I-75 on the Anderson-Campbell county line, said Nathan M. Waters, Tennessee Forestry Division assistant district forester in Knoxville.
Two large fires in Campbell County and one in Scott County had been contained, but firefighters would check on earlier fires and complete fire lines, Waters said Tuesday.
Conditions had improved enough that state officials said they would allow some counties to begin issuing burn permits again. More information on which counties are issuing burn permits is available by calling the local Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry office or checking online at http://bursafetn.org.
Waters said there have been about 1,031 fires in Tennessee this year, and they’ve burned an estimated 14,374 acres.
Some fires have been started by causes other than arson. On Monday, Waters said six fires in upper East Tennessee had started as debris fires, one was started by children and another by a cigarette, and two were home fires that triggered wildfires.
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