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Burn ban in effect in Oak Ridge, restrictions in OS

Posted at 8:49 pm November 10, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge remains under a burn ban, and there are fire restrictions in Oliver Springs.

Oak Ridge Fire Chief Travis Solomon issued a burn ban on November 5.

“Due to the dry conditions in our region, no burn permits will be issued until further notice,” the City of Oak Ridge said. “Outdoor burning without a permit is banned by city ordinance.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: burn ban, burn permits, fire restrictions, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Oliver Springs Fire Department, Travis Solomon

Arson suspected in Little Brushy fire near Petros

Posted at 11:25 pm November 24, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

highway-62-fire-4-nov-23-2016-web

Arson is suspected in the Little Brushy forest fire that has burned 100 acres along Highway 62 a few miles south of Petros, authorities said Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. The fire is above Petros-Joyner School and homes and businesses along Highway 62, near the intersection with Highway 116. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Arson is suspected in a forest fire that has burned 100 acres along Highway 62 south of Petros, authorities said Thursday.

The Little Brushy fire is in mountains above Petros-Joyner School near the intersection of Highway 62 and Highway 116 in Morgan County. It was 10 percent contained early Thursday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Residents said they first noticed the fire, which is above homes and businesses along Highway 62, at about 11 a.m. Wednesday. The fire burned vigorously at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, and it blew heavy smoke across Highway 62, reducing visibility on a section of road between Petros and Oliver Springs.

It’s the second fire this week near Petros. The other fire, which firefighters started battling on Sunday, is called the Bald Knob Road fire. That fire is roughly on the other side of Petros and about five miles north of Little Brushy. It appeared to have started in mountains east and northeast of Petros near the Anderson County-Morgan County line in an area that residents call the Gillontine Trail.

The Bald Knob Road fire held at 790 acres, and it was 100 percent contained on Thursday, according to a fire update from the Tennessee Division of Forestry early Thursday afternoon. Arson is also suspected in that fire. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Petros, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County, arson, Bald Knob Road fire, Beech Grove Road fire, Bill Haslam, brush fire, burn ban, fire, forest fire, Gillontine Trail, Highway 116, Highway 62, Little Brushy fire, Morgan County, Petros, regional burn ban, Tennessee Division of Forestry, wildfire, Yarnell Road

Two forest fires burn near Petros

Posted at 9:11 pm November 23, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

highway-62-fire-4-nov-23-2016-web

The Little Brushy fire burns on a ridge above Highway 62 near Petros-Joyner School and the intersection with Highway 116 on Wednesday evening, Nov. 23, 2016. The fire is a few miles south of Petros. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 24.

PETROS—One forest fire that has burned close to 800 acres since Sunday had scorched down to the north side of Petros by Wednesday evening, and a second nearby mountain fire that residents said started Wednesday morning billowed smoke across a section of Highway 62 south of Petros, near Petros-Joyner School in Morgan County.

The first fire, the one that firefighters have been battling since Sunday, is the Bald Knob Road fire. It’s named for a road that runs east out of Petros. It had charred 790 acres as of noon Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry. The fire is a suspected arson, and it was 60 percent contained on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday evening, firefighters appeared to have set back fires, which they use to contain blazes, near several homes in Petros, including off Armes Road in north Petros.

That fire had grown from what was reported to be a few hundred acres on Monday, when it emitted a smoke plume that could be seen for miles, including in Oak Ridge, to about 450 acres on Tuesday. It had almost doubled in size by Wednesday. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fire, Petros, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County, arson, Bald Knob Road fire, Bill Haslam, burn ban, fire, firefighters, forest fire, Highway 116, Highway 62, Little Brushy fire, Morgan County, mountain fire, Petros, Petros-Joyner School, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee wildfires, Wade Teague, wildfire

Updated: Arson suspected in mountain fire emitting miles-long smoke plume

Posted at 5:41 pm November 21, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

beech-grove-fire-from-rosedale-nov-21-2016-web

Arson is suspected in a fire that has burned about 450 acres in mountain forests about five miles northeast of Petros, authorities said. Smoke from the fire is pictured above from Highway 116 in north Anderson County on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. The smoke plume could be seen for miles. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

beech-grove-fire-from-rosedale-nov-21-2016-web

Arson is suspected in a fire that has burned about 450 acres in mountain forests about five miles northeast of Petros, authorities said. Smoke from the fire is pictured above from Highway 116 in north Anderson County on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. The smoke plume could be seen for miles. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

PETROS—Arson is suspected in a fire that started this weekend and has burned about 452 acres in mountain forests a few miles east and northeast of Petros, authorities said Monday.

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Filed Under: Fire, Petros, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson County, arson, Bald Knob Road, Beech Grove Road, Bill Haslam, brush fire, burn ban, Carol Beene, drought, fire, Gillontine Trail, Highway 116, Morgan County, New River, Petros, Petros Library, Stoney Fork, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Division of Forestry, wildfire

State clarifies use of grills during burn ban

Posted at 4:53 pm November 17, 2016
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Tennessee officials said they’ve received questions about the use of grills and how grill use may be affected by burn bans.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has issued a proclamation declaring a regional ban on burning in 51 counties, including Anderson and Roane counties, in response to the ongoing drought and destructive wildfires throughout Middle and East Tennessee.

That regional burn ban applies to open-air burning and includes a prohibition of campfires and burning of brush, vegetation, and construction debris, said Corinne Gould, assistant commissioner for public affairs in the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

“Generally, the burn ban does not apply to cooking grills and other similar lighted devices that are well-established in a confined, protected area away from woodlands,” Gould said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, State Tagged With: Bill Haslam, burn ban, Corinne Gould, grilling, grills, Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Air quality forecast for Wednesday: Unhealthy

Posted at 1:05 pm November 16, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

air-quality-forecast-nov-16-2016

The air quality forecast on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, is unhealthy for East Tennessee, including the Knoxville area, as forest fires continue to burn in the Southeast, including in East Tennessee. Yellow is moderate, orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and red is unhealthy. (Image courtesy AirNow.gov)

 

The air quality forecast on Wednesday is unhealthy for East Tennessee, including the Knoxville area, as forest fires continue to burn in the Southeast, including in East Tennessee.

The air quality conditions in the Knoxville area at about noon Wednesday were moderate, according to AirNow.gov.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said the unhealthy air quality conditions will continue across must of the area into today. People with lung disease such as asthma and children and older adults should avoid prolonged outdoor exposure to the smoke, the Weather Service said.

“Everyone should limit prolonged outdoor exertion,” the NWS said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: active fire, air quality, air quality forecast, AirNow.gov, ban on burning, Bill Haslam, burn ban, East Tennessee, forest fires, National Weather Service, Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry, wildfire

Readers ask: Is it okay to grill during burn ban?

Posted at 10:08 pm November 15, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

anderson-county-fires-smoke-oliver-springs-nov-10-2016-web

More than 4,000 acres have burned this month in six fires in rugged, forested parts of north Anderson County, state officials said. Smoke hangs high in the air above the mountains north of Oliver Springs on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A few readers have had questions about whether it is okay to cook on a grill while the burn ban is in effect. There has been some confusion because various burn bans have been announced, and they often haven’t included information about grilling.

One burn ban announced Monday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam bans burning in 51 counties because of the ongoing drought and continuing forest fires. The burn ban includes all eastern Tennessee counties, including Anderson, Campbell, Loudon, Knox, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union. Residents in those counties are not permitted to conduct any open-air burning. The ban includes campfires and burning of brush, vegetation, household waste, or construction debris. The ban will remain in effect until December 15. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Bill Haslam, burn ban, forest fires, grililng, Sarah Self, Travis Solomon

TVA issues burn ban on all its public lands in Tennessee Valley

Posted at 11:19 am November 15, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

tennessee-national-guard-firefighting-helicopter

Firefighting crews are using helicopters with 500-gallon water baskets to battle wildfires all around the region. They often use water from nearby lakes, like Douglas in East Tennessee, which is near fires in the Cherokee National Forest. (Photo: Tennessee National Guard via TVA)

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority has issued a burn ban on all of the public lands, recreation areas, and facility reservations it manages in seven states in the Tennessee Valley. The burn ban is to help ensure public safety during the continuing dry conditions, TVA said in a press release.

“Until further notice, all open flames are prohibited—including campfires, barbeques, smoking, or any other flame-producing activity—as well as vehicle parking on non-paved or gravel surfaces,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Police and Fire, U.S. Tagged With: burn ban, fire danger, Tennessee Valley, TVA

Governor issues regional burn ban, including Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane

Posted at 7:11 am November 15, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

neddy-mountain-fire-cocke-county-nov-13-2016

A Chinook helicopter drops water near a home to protect it from an advancing wildfire on Neddy Mountain in Cocke County on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Division of Forestry)

 

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Monday issued a proclamation declaring a regional ban on burning in 51 counties in response to the ongoing drought and destructive wildfires throughout Middle and East Tennessee.

All eastern Tennessee counties are now under the burn ban. The counties include Anderson, Campbell, Loudon, Knox, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union.

Effective immediately, residents in counties covered by the regional ban are not permitted to conduct any open-air burning, a press release said. The ban includes campfires, and burning of brush, vegetation, household waste, or construction debris. The ban will remain in effect until December 15. The counties under the ban are listed below.

On Monday, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry was fighting 67 wildfires across nearly 16,000 acres in the Cumberland and East Tennessee districts.

One of the largest active fires in the area was a 2,432-acre fire on White Oak Circle in Morgan County. That fire was caused by arson, according to the Division of Forestry. That fire appears to be northwest of Harriman and Oakdale. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Fire, Front Page News, Morgan County, Police and Fire, Slider, Tennessee Tagged With: Anderson, Bill Haslam, burn ban, Campbell, Cocke County, David W. Purkey, Division of Forestry, East Tennessee, Jai Templeton, Jere Jeter, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, regional burn ban, Roane, Scott, Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry, Union, White Oak Circle, wildfire

State officials issue fire advisory due to hot, dry conditions

Posted at 1:38 pm June 30, 2012
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The number of fires across Tennessee has increased since mid-June, and state officials have issued a fire advisory due to the unusually hot, dry weather.

A burn ban is in effect in 18 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, including Sevier and Fentress.

Normally, burning permits are required by the state only during official fire season, Oct. 15 through May 15. But the Tennessee Forestry Division is asking residents to delay any outdoor burning or other activities that could cause fires until after the state gets a significant amount of rain.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Police and Fire Tagged With: burn ban, fire advisory, Tennessee Forestry division

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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