Fire update published Friday, March 28:
The Big Ridge Fire raging in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Rabun County nearly doubled in size from Thursday to Friday.
After officials said Thursday afternoon that the fire had consumed just over 1,000 acres of land from the Warwoman Wildlife Management Area to nearly Sky Valley. On Friday, officials said it has now consumed roughly 1,900 acres.
The fire is continuing to spread south and east towards the South Carolina state line, according to information officer James Wettstead with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.
"We did have issues on the south, southwest corner of the fire (Thursday night,)" Wettstead said. "It crossed out control lines down there and it's moving down towards Warwoman Creek...It is also moving east from the main fire. It ran up a ridge (Thursday) and is slowly moving east towards the Hale Ridge Road area."
Friday morning, the Forest Service turned over management of the fire to the Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team, a national response group.
Red Flag Warnings continue to be in place across Northeast Georgia with dry and windy conditions. Officials say that will continue to aid the fire's spread.
Fire update published Thursday, March 27:
While the Big Ridge Fire in eastern Rabun County continues to grow, officials say it continues to stay away from populated areas.
James Wettstead, information officer for the U.S. Forest Service, says the fire has now consumed over 1,000 acres of land in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest east of Clayton. Despite that, he said crews have been able to take steps to keep it away from threatening human life or private property.
The main threat recently has been the fire's approach towards the city of Sky Valley on the northern edge of Rabun County.
"(Wednesday) was overall a pretty good day, from a strategic perspective," Wettstead said. "Our goal had been to get some containment lines in to secure Sky Valley from the fire, and we accomplished that burnout and it held and that line is now secure in that area."
He said the fire, which had been advancing northward, has now changed course and is spreading south, which Wettstead said is good news for populated areas of Rabun County.
"The fire crossed our lines at the south end of the fire, which is away from all the private land and houses," Wettstead. "We're working on trying to corral that part of the fire. Our focus is on protecting private land and lives, and then we'll worry about the trees a little bit later."
Wettstead said they are advising the public to avoid the area north of Warwoman Creek up to the northern boundary of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. The Forest Service also issued a campfire ban effective immediately until further notice, banning any outdoor open flame fires in the forest.
Fire update posted Wednesday, March 26:
The Big Ridge wildfire burning in the northeastern portion of Rabun County continued to grow on Tuesday.
Wednesday morning, the U.S. Forest Service issued an update on the fire, which has been burning since Saturday in the Warwoman Wildlife Management Area northeast of Clayton.
"Late in the day (Tuesday) the fire made a significant run and crossed the initial control lines on the northeast side and is now in the headwaters of Addie Branch," the update said.
That spread is being aided by red flag conditions that have persisted in Northeast Georgia, including low relative humidity and high winds. The fire, which was at just over 300 acres as of Tuesday morning, had grown to 480 acres as of Wednesday.
The fire's spread has been in a remote, wooded area of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, which Forest Service officials say means there is currently no threat to human life or public property. There are, however, several road and trail closures in the area, including:
- Sarah's Creek Campground
- Sarah's Creek Road (Forest Service Road 156)
- Tuckaluge Road (Forest Service Road 153)
- Bartram Trail (from Warwoman Dell to Hale Ridge Road)
As crews continue to try to contain the wildfire, authorities are advising that smoke may continue to drift and impact surrounding areas.
"Substantial smoke will be visible from the Big Ridge Fire (Wednesday) and may settle into Warwoman Valley at night," officials said.
The dry and windy conditions aiding the fire are expected to continue through most of the week, with the Forest Service saying the next expected chance of rain in the area is Sunday.
