Good news and bad news with the Mill Creek Wildfire. The bad news….that fire has now more than doubled in size now consuming over 650 acres and yesterday smoke could be seen blanketing the southwestern part of Cocke County…the good news is that residential structures and the I-40 Welcome Center are no longer threatened by this fire….although the Stone Mountain Trail (#9) is temporarily closed from Mills Creek to Hall Top for safety reasons. Today, crews from the department of agriculture’s forestry division along with firefighters from the department of forestry will patrol and monitor all containment lines. Minimal fire activity is expected today…with some possible rain this afternoon and tonight…the fire is expected to cool down even more by tomorrow. That wildfire is now 75% contained. While things are getting better, Motorists traveling I-40 in that area are urged to use caution because of the potential for thick smoke in that area. |
