Tennessee Department of Agriculture Archives

Updated: Fire crews battle brush fire near railroad tracks at Elza Gate

Posted at 4:25 pm March 22, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Fire crews battle a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 p.m.

Fire crews battled a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The fire was burning in brush on a steep embankment about 20 feet high along the railroad tracks. It had also spread to nearby brush.

Smoke was visible over the east end of Oak Ridge at about 3:30 p.m., in the area east of Elza Gate Park.

Firefighters responded from the Oak Ridge Fire Department, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, and Oliver Springs Fire Department. The Oak Ridge Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Tennessee Department of Agriculture also responded.

Witnesses told authorities that some railroad equipment had sent sparks flying around the time of the fire, but the City of Oak Ridge wasn’t able to confirm a cause on Friday night. [Read more…]

Reminder: Emerald ash borer workshop at UT Arboretum this evening

Posted at 9:57 am August 29, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An ash tree is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Tree Board is hosting a workshop focused on the impact of the emerald ash borer in the area. The event, scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, August 29, will provide important information regarding the emerald ash borer for property owners, landscapers, and others involved in the maintenance of green spaces, a press release said.

Ash trees make up a significant percentage of the urban forest in the area and have traditionally been a landscaping staple. Many of these trees in Oak Ridge are already dead or beyond treatment, but a significant number can be saved. At the workshop this evening, experts from around the area will address issues that include the identification of affected ash trees and responses to emerald ash borer infestation, including appropriate treatment. [Read more…]

City tree board has workshop on emerald ash borer on Aug. 29

Posted at 7:58 pm August 6, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

An ash tree is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

“Ash trees make up a significant percentage of our urban forest and have traditionally been a landscaping staple,” the press release said. “Many of these trees in Oak Ridge are already dead or beyond treatment, but a significant number can be saved. At the workshop later this month, experts from around the area will address issues such as identification of affected ash trees and responses to EAB (emerald ash borer) infestation, including appropriate treatment.”

Those who attend will learn about these pests and their origin and how they spread across the country, as well as the techniques used in diverse areas ranging from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to urban areas, such as Knoxville and surrounding municipalities. [Read more…]

Anderson County receives $50,000 tourism grant

Posted at 4:26 pm January 21, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Anderson County has received a $50,000 state tourism grant.

The grant was one of 29 announced Friday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. The grants, called Tourism Enhancement Grants, total more than $1 million.

The grants will help with tourism infrastructure, a press release said. [Read more…]

Petros fire updates: Few embers, smoke on Friday

Posted at 10:45 am November 26, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

jason-oshell-crew-at-mountain-fire-morgan-county-1-nov-2016

Jason O’Shell, right, leads a crew on a mountaintop in Morgan County, near Petros, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Department of Agriculture)

PETROS—A few embers and smoke remained on a mountaintop just north of Oliver Springs in Morgan County on Friday as a Tennessee Division of Forestry crew headed out for another fire reported in nearby Roane County, state officials said.

The firefighters, led by crew boss Jason O’Shell, worked the day building fire lines and backfiring to keep the Morgan County fire from spreading in an area frequented by four-wheelers, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture said. The crew was helped by a federal fire crew from western states.

Crews have been battling two blazes this week north of Oliver Springs, near Petros. The two fires have been about 12-16 miles northwest of Oak Ridge.

One fire, the Bald Knob Road fire, has been roughly east and northeast of Petros near the Anderson County-Morgan County line, in mountains east of Highway 62 and south of Highway 116. Crews first responded to that fire on Sunday. Since then, it has grown to 1,173 acres. It’s an arson, and it’s 100 percent contained, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry said Friday afternoon. [Read more…]

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)

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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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…]

Firefighters contain brush fire on ridge off Yarnell Road in Claxton

Posted at 11:00 pm November 16, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Firefighters contained a brush fire of about two to three acres on a ridge above Yarnell Road just outside south Clinton on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. Pictured above are two trucks with bulldozers from the Tennessee Division of Forestry. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m. Nov. 17.

CLAXTON—Firefighters contained a brush fire on a ridge off Yarnell Road in Claxton on Wednesday night, authorities said.

The Tennessee Division of Forestry said the fire burned seven acres, and arson was the cause.

It was in a wooded area just outside south Clinton, said Dusty Sharpe, assistant chief of the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department. It was reported at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Most of the firefighters came down from the fire at about 9:40 p.m. Among those who responded were firefighters from Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Claxton Volunteer Fire Department, Clinton Fire Department, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, and the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Sharpe said the fire was contained, but it had a few hot spots that would continue to burn the next few hours. There was no damage to any structures, he said. [Read more…]

More than 4,000 acres burned in Anderson County, state records say

Posted at 4:42 pm November 11, 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 four fires in rugged, forested parts of north Anderson County, state officials said Thursday. Smoke hangs high in the air above the mountains north of Oliver Springs on Thursday evening, Nov. 10, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. Nov. 12.

NEW RIVER—More than 4,000 acres have burned this month in five fires in mountainous north Anderson County, state officials said.

In Anderson County, 4,235 acres had been burned by the five fires as of Saturday afternoon, according to an update posted by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry. That was the most acres burned by fires that were still active in Tennessee on Saturday.

Arson is listed as the cause of four of the Anderson County fires, according to the update. Debris is the cause of another.

Smoke from at least two fires hung high above the mountains north of Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs on Thursday evening. It reduced visibility to a few hundred feet on the northernmost section of Highway 116 in rural Anderson County on Friday morning. Smoke was thick near a bridge at a 90-degree bend in the highway at the Campbell County line in northern Anderson County, irritating throats and making it harder to breathe. Firefighters said there was a nearby fire that they called Bootjack, up Stoney Fork Road, which goes north into Campbell County. [Read more…]

Arson suspected in three fires that burn close to 2,000 acres in Anderson County

Posted at 9:14 am November 9, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Division of Forestry said on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, that the 900-acre Beech Grove fire in Devonia along Highway 116 in north Anderson County was contained. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m. Nov. 10.

NEW RIVER—Arson is suspected in three fires that have burned close to 2,000 acres in mountainous north Anderson County in the past week, authorities said Tuesday.

The largest fire, the Three Heads Fire in Double Camp behind Rosedale Elementary School on Highway 116, was estimated to have started on November 2. Crews had been holding it at about 1,500 acres, but someone went in behind firefighters and restarted the fire in a mountain gap about two days ago, said Bruce Miller, Tennessee Division of Forestry forestry technician in Anderson County.

Crews had to go to the north end of Anderson County to cut off the fire, which has grown to 1,600 acres, Miller said.

“It’s going to get bigger,” he said.

The fire is northeast of the Tennessee Valley Authority wind turbines on Buffalo Mountain, which are visible from Oak Ridge on a clear day. No personal property was reported to be at risk on Tuesday morning. A Tennessee Division of Forestry bulldozer was headed to the fire when Oak Ridge Today interviewed Miller in New River. [Read more…]

Anderson County gets $40,000 tourism grant

Posted at 6:33 pm July 24, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 2 Comments

Bill Haslam during Presidential Visit at Pellissippi State

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd recently announced that 29 communities will receive close to $1 million in Tourism Enhancement Grants to assist communities with tourism infrastructure assets. Anderson County received a $40,000 grant.

“We want to congratulate all 29 communities on receiving Tourism Enhancement Grants,” Haslam said in a press release. “These grants showcase how great the partnership is between tourist development and economic development. With the support of these grants, each community will be better equipped to succeed in our state, and I look forward to seeing these Tennessee communities thrive.”

The grants assist counties and cities in improving local assets to increase the economic impact of tourism.

“I am pleased to announce these 29 communities that have been awarded the Tourism Enhancement Grant,” Boyd said. “It is always exciting when communities choose to invest in economic development initiatives to grow and succeed in our state. Tourism development is economic development, and with the assistance of the Tourism Enhancement Grant and our partnership with Commissioner Kevin Triplett and the Department of Tourist Development, each community will be able to invest in their assets and grow their local economy.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Fair named most improved at state convention

Posted at 11:17 am February 2, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

An image from an Anderson County Fair poster from 2009.

The Anderson County Fair was named most improved in its division—Division AAA—during a recent state convention.

The awards were presented by Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson during the 92nd Annual Convention of the Tennessee Association of Fairs from Jan. 16-18 in Nashville. More than 900 people attended the Fairs Merit Awards recognition dinner.

A press release said awards were presented to 56 of the state’s top county, regional, and state agricultural fairs. They were recognized with the Merit Award for outstanding achievement during the 2013 fair season. [Read more…]