brush fires Archives - Oak Ridge Today

A brown-gray haze thickened over Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, and the smell of smoke hung in the air as firefighters battled blazes in East Tennessee and across the state. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 5:25 p.m.

A brown-gray haze thickened over Oak Ridge on Monday and the smell of smoke hung in the air as firefighters battled blazes in East Tennessee and across the state.

The haze was visible at least into west Knox County.

Anderson County and Oak Ridge both issued reminders that a burn ban is in effect. The Oak Ridge Police Department sent out a notice that the smoke in the air is due to numerous brush fires throughout the state, and the department asked residents to not call 911 to inquire about the cause.

The Tennessee Division of Forestry reported 96 active fires on Sunday afternoon, with 8,665 acres burned. (See a list of the fires here and a map here.)

Three active fires were reported in Anderson County, with 1,485 acres burned. [Read more…]

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating several small brush fires in the Claxton area.

Just before noon on Monday, deputies were notified of three small brush fires burning in the 600 block of Edgemoor Road. When Deputy Roger Sexton arrived, the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department was already on scene dousing the fires, which were located within 50 yards of one another about 20 feet from the roadway.

While Sexton was still on the scene of the Edgemoor fires, a call came in about another brush fire on Old Emory Road near Crawford Lane, and he went to investigate. When he arrived, he found a homeowner putting out the fire with a garden hose. That fire, too, was about 20 feet from the roadway. [Read more…]

Smoke from brush fires settles in Oak Ridge; burn ban, air quality alert in effect

Claxton brush fires investigated as arson