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Sunday, May 9, 2021

Roan Mountain fire burns between 1400-1500 acres, mostly contained

3 / 3 The 1,500-acre wildfire in Roan Mountain was fanned Wednesday by winds, leading firefighters to ask for additional support from the air. John Thompson/Johnson City Press
3 / 3 The 1,500-acre wildfire in Roan Mountain was fanned Wednesday by winds, leading firefighters to ask for additional support from the air.
John Thompson/Johnson City Press

By John Thompson and Zach Vance, Johnson City Press

ROAN MOUNTAIN — Between 1,400 and 1,500 acres have burned around the Old Railroad Grade area in the Carter County community as of Wednesday afternoon as containment has been a bit of an issue on the western side of the fire, according to forestry technician James Heaton.

“We’re doing really good with containment however we have had a little bit of trouble on the western flank and we’ve had several aircraft working that problematic area,” Heaton said. “It was all part of the plan for it to burn this much. The goal is to get a box drawn around it and then began backfiring operations.”

Approximately 100 people are now working the fire, and Heaton said some volunteer firefighters asked for structure protection.

Read more about the fire from the Johnson City Press.