GATLINBURG, Tenn. – The Flint Gap Fire is now 75 percent contained. Yesterday (Sept. 21), firefighters hiked into the fire and continued to safely secure the perimeter and put out hot spots. Today fire crews continue to work the fire, mopping up hot spots and remaining areas of heat within the perimeter. Crews have had great success in reducing the threat from the fire.
After today, the fire team will transition to a Type 4 Incident Commander and will downsize to one ten-person crew—this is a result of decreasing complexity, fire threat and incident complexity. Fire crews will continue to monitor and take additional actions as needed.
The park received a report of the fire burning in a remote area of the park near Hannah Mountain, south of Abrams Creek, the evening of Aug. 26. An investigation revealed several days later that the fire was started by lightning. No structures are threatened at this time.
Parson Branch Road as well as some park trails and backcountry campsites are currently closed due to fire activity. Check the park website for road closures and other updates before visiting. All fire updates are available on the park website.
- National Park Service release
