Fire breaks out at park
Firefighters with the Georgia Forestry Commission, National Parks Service, Catoosa County Fire & Rescue, Walker County Emergency Services, as well as Catoosa County Prison firefighters last week fought a 10-acre brush fire at Chickamauga Battlefield.
According to Georgia Forestry Commission’s Pat Stockett, the 10-acre fire began around noon on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
Firefighters arrived for an “initial attack” to a roughly 2-acre fire that grew to 10 acres and had the potential to be much worse due to the dry conditions from the exceptional drought.
Heavy smoke filled the northwest region of the battlefield.
“It was putting up a lot of smoke that normally would indicate a larger size fire,” Stockett said. “When the crews got to it, it was only about an acre or so...It did, absolutely, have the potential to be much bigger.”
Stockett said the fire was contained to 10 acres.
A helicopter was brought in as a safety precaution.
All entrances to the trails at the battlefield were temporarily blocked off.
Stockett urged residents to be diligent and use caution during this drought.
“We are in an extreme drought right now...There are ponds going dry that have never been dry. There are several streams that aren’t even flowing now. People need to use precaution. Some fires have been caused by faulty cars. We have had hot mechanized equipment parking in tall grass and catching the grass on fire. Everybody needs to be diligent. There are permits shut off in most places. Folks need to check with their counties, (because) some counties have actually enacted burn bans at the county level. On much of the state land here, and federal land, the Department of Natural Resources and the federal agencies, they are starting to restrict campfires and cooking fires to help prevent fires from escaping,” Stockett said.
Stockett said residents should contact their fire department and forestry before they have a campfire or cooking fire.
“If you do chose to burn, despite the permits being off, you will be issued an unlawful burn notice by the forestry commission as well as whatever local entities (including hefty fines),” she said.
On a daily basis, the GFC is handling between 8 and 14 fires, not including the fires that carry over into the next day.