Buffalo Mountain Fire Sparks Home And Health Concerns
07:47 AM – May 09, 2008
http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/-TRI_2008_05_07_0039/8926/
Updated at 5:55 a.m., Friday
News Channel 11 spoke with Terry Bowerman, a Ranger with the Cherokee National Forest, just after 5:30 a.m. He said 75 firefighters would resume laying fire lines at 7:00 a.m.
He could not offer an exact count on how many acres were on fire, but estimates the figure is between 900 and 1000.
Emergency crews have three bulldozers and two helicopters at their disposal.
Rain showers on Thursday night helped slow the fire down, but did not put it out, Bowerman said. Dead pine trees on Buffalo Mountain could present the biggest challenge Friday, he said.
Click here to link to the interview with Terry Bowerman.
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Updated at 12:58 p.m., Thursday
Emergency crews are fighting a wildfire spreading across Northeast Tennessee.
It started Wednesday on Buffalo Mountain. The fire site is near Johnson City and straddles Washington and Unicoi Counties.
The fire has spread to more than 100 acres. Crews closed Dry Creek Road around 1:00pm because of dead trees falling near the road. Buffalo Mountain Park is also closed.
Fire crews told News Channel 11’s Amber Miller no homes are bring threatened at this time.
Johnson City called in the Hotshots from Asheville, North Carolina to lend a hand. Homeowners have also created their own fire lines.
Your Tri-Cities News Source is back on the fire lines today. We’ll have team coverage and live reports today at 5 and 6.
