MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. — In McDowell County, the Jumping Branch Fire, which has burned close to 420 acres and is 50% contained on Wednesday, started after someone tossed out a cigarette, a homeowner told Channel 9. The fire quickly crawled up the mountainside.
A portion of Highway 80 was shut down on Tuesday.
There was damage to homes and sheds after the fire spread quickly northwest of Marion.
There are 170 firefighters from the U.S. and N.C. forest services fighting the fire. It is burning in an area hit hard by Hurricane Helene, which brought down thousands of trees along Highway 180.
Resident Tim Inman showed Channel 9’s Dave Faherty the damage to his home where the siding melted from the wildfire.
He said a family member tossed a cigarette in the backyard on Sunday, igniting the dry brush and sending flames up the mountainside and into the fallen trees from Helene.
“When it hit the wood line there, it tore the top of it within 20 minutes or so,” Inman said. “It was already up and over and going down the other side.”
The U.S. Forest Service has been dropping water on the fire.
Crews used a tactic called a burnout operation, which, according to the Department of the Interior, involves “using fire in a controlled manner to remove the fuels between the main fire and the fire break, so that when the main fire reaches the burned area/fire break.”
The U.S. Forest Service used drones to fire chemical gels into the forest to start fires there.
“The area between the main fire, the containment lines is what we are concerned about,” said Allyson Pokrzywinski, public information officer. “So, by burning those fuels we can stop forward progression of the fire.”
An Unmanned Aerial System is also using infrared imagery to help firefighters identify hot spots.
A few hundred yards from the fire, repairs were underway along Buck Creek, where homes and 30 campers were destroyed at the Triple C Campground during Helene.
It’s been 18 months since the storm hit, but resident David Owens said it’s still having an impact.
“Oh lord, the whole upper end was wiped out,” Owens said. “A couple down this way was wiped out. I was across the road and just watched everything go.”
Everyone Faherty spoke with on Tuesday was thankful for the fire crews.
Wilkes County wildfire
Firefighters were making progress on Tuesday, fighting a wildfire in Wilkes County.
The North Carolina Forest Service says the fire has gone from 20% to 50% contained. More than 600 acres have burned, forcing some people to evacuate their homes.
There’s no relief in sight because dry air is sticking around.
VIDEO: Residents evacuated as crews battle 360-acre fire in Wilkes County
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