CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The fire threat that officials have been warning about for weeks has become real for thousands of residents in several southern states including Tennessee and Kentucky.
Wildfires near the Georgia-North Carolina line are spewing smoke so thick that residents are urged to wear special masks outdoors and prompted evacuations in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee in recent days.
The largest of dozens of ongoing wildfires in the South has now burned 13,300 acres — or more than a third of the vast Cohutta Wilderness area — in the north Georgia mountains just south of the Tennessee line. As of Saturday, it was only 20 percent contained.
A brush fire Saturday in Davidson County spread across at some 40 acres and Nashville firefighters spent much of the day battling a brush fire in Goodlettsville.
In October, the city of Clarksville issued a burn ban and last week astate of emergency was declared by TEMA due to the drought conditions.
The declarations prohibit all outdoor open burning, such as residential burn piles, construction burning, leaf burning and bonfires.
During the last ten days of October, there were 10 fires reported within Clarksville city limits.
Anyone with questions about the burn ban can contact Fire Chief Mike Roberts’ office at (931) 645-7456.