Rock Mountain Fire grows by 1,000 acres or more

YOUNG HARRIS — A wildfire burning in Towns and Rabun counties was active Thursday, growing by at least 1,000 acres, according to the incident commander.

The fire was around 8,500 acres Wednesday night, but continued to grow on Thursday, said Noel Livingston, incident commander of the Pacific Northwest Team 3 from the Oregon/Washington area.

Speaking to a crowd of about 400 people at Thursday night's Towns County Commissioner meeting at the new Foster Park Recreation Center in Young Harris, Livingston and others updated residents on the status of the fire.

"A lot of you saw the column of smoke coming off of the northern perimeter of the fire," Livingston said. "The fire has been very active right up on that very northern piece right up next to and actually into North Carolina, up in the [Nantahala] Wilderness. So I would say at a minimum it grew about another 1,000 acres or probably better today. It was pretty active up on that ridgeline."

Nearly 350 personnel are actively engaged in firefighting efforts on the Rock Mountain Fire, Livingston said. That includes 11 crews, 10 engines, two water tenders, five helicopters, one fixed-wing aircraft, and a dozer.

Betty Jewett, forest supervisor for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, praised the incident management teams like Pacific Northwest Team 3 that are in the South helping manage large fires.

"What's up with the leaves?" Jewett said. "They're not coming down. It's just not happening and that's causing a problem with the fire lines, so we're constantly going back and blowing those lines to get those leaves off of it because we don't want the fire to cross."

Towns County Fire Chief Harold Copeland provided an update on additional resources that moved into the county Thursday morning to help with the county fire department's day-to-day responsibilities. Crews and apparatus from Hall County, Forsyth County, City of Covington, Walton County and Smyrna Fire Department were among those responding to assist.

Those resources followed a declaration of a State of Emergency on Wednesday and were obtained through a request to the Georgia Mutual Aid Group.

Tate City and the Hightower area in Towns County remain under a pre-evacuation advisory, meaning residents could be asked to leave on short notice and should be prepared to do so quickly.

Copeland assured homeowners the county will notify them as far in advance as possible should there be a need for an evacuation, hopefully at least 24 hours. Notifications to affected residents will be made through the county's Code Red notification system to mobile and landline phones, through social media and conventional media, and by going to any homes included.

Copeland said he remains optimistic, though the weekend forecast is raising concern with officials because of predicted winds.

Regarding the smoke experienced in much of North Georgia some days since the fires began, Towns County Emergency Medical Services Director Ricky Mathis said 300 N95 masks were provided by District 2 Public Health officials.

What does that mean?

Mark Palen, preparedness director, and Dave Palmer, public information officer, for Georgia District 2 Public Health attended Thursday night's meeting to discuss the effects of smoke from wildfires.

Palen emphasized that a simple paper dust mask from the hardware store or a surgical mask that hooks around the ears is not adequate to protect against the fine particles in smoke.

Instead, Public Health officials urge those who can't remain indoors when smoke is an issue in their area and for whom a face mask is the only option to choose a respirator mask labeled N95 or N100 with two straps that go around the wearer's head.

Towns County EMS personnel began distributing some of the masks following Thursday night's meeting.

As a result of the Rock Mountain Fire, a section of the Appalachian Trail remains closed from Dicks Creek Gap in Georgia to Rock Gap, N.C.

Additionally, Tallulah River Road (Forest Service Road 70) and Charlies Creek Road off Tallulah River Road remain closed.

To monitor the latest information about the Rock Mountain Fire, visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5100.

On social media, find more on Twitter at @ChattOconeeNF and on Facebook at ChattOconeeNF.

High pressure in the area makes the smoke column very evident over Lake Chatuge Thursday afternoon.

Towns County Emergency Medical Services Director Ricky Mathis discusses the distribution of N95 respirator masks provided by Georgia District 2 Public Health.

Dave Palmer, public information officer for District 2 Public Health, demonstrates to the crowd the proper way to wear an N95 or N100 respirator mask.

Some 400 people pack the Foster Park Recreation Center for Thursday night's Towns County Commissioner meeting that featured an update from the U.S. Forest Service, local public safety officials and others on the Rock Mountain Fire burning in Towns and Rabun counties and crossing into the Nantahala Wilderness in North Carolina.

Only a few of the 375 chairs set up for the Towns County Commissioner meeting in Young Harris are vacant during Thursday night's meeting that featured an update on the Rock Mountain Fire.

Betty Jewett, forest supervisor for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest based in Gainesville, discusses some of the challenges faced by firefighters working to contain the Rock Mountain Fire. Those include leaves falling later than normal, meaning firefighters have to use backpack blowers to keep fire lines clear of falling leaves.

Towns County Fire Chief Harold Copeland, right, points to a map as Rock Mountain Fire Incident Commander Noel Livingston explains to the audience what is depicted.

One of the nearly 400 audience members asks a question following Thursday night's presentation on the Rock Mountain Fire.

Only a handful of the 375 chairs set up for Thursday's Towns County Commissioner meeting remain vacant, with many people opting to stand in the back of the room.

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