Latest on Cohutta Wilderness Fire, Please Don’t Burn!, Hwy 5/McCaysville Bypass Explained

We’re under a total burn ban and many trails are closed. The fire in the Cohutta Wilderness  is not the only one, just the most concerning. Please don’t burn anything!

Here’s a look at the forest fire in the Cohutta Wilderness as of November 7th. It appears to be right up against the Jones Community at this point. While they do seem to be trying to save the Jones Community, “Because of the extreme drought conditions and the location of this fire within the Cohutta Wilderness, one of the management objectives is to allow the fire to accomplish its natural ecological role.” That would be to burn 15% of the total area of the Cohutta Wilderness … so far.

Note: This link will bring the latest daily update from the Forest Service. They seem to be updating once a day at this point.

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5078/

I’m reblogging this post from Fetch Your News because the map is a little clearer in this version, which is as November 1.

Cohutta Wildfire Update: Fire 10% Contained, Entire Cohutta Wilderness Area Closed Until Further Notice

Here’s a particularly clear description of the Hwy 5/McCaysville Bypass project, also from Fetch Your News.

GDOT Unveils Hwy. 5 Improvement Project