A forest fire broke out not long after 1pm Wednesday on the northwest side of La Follette

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF UPDATE 4PM) – The fire that was first spotted about 200-feet up above North 19th Street in La Follette has grown to near the top of the ridge, according to La Follette Fire Chief Jimmy Pack.

Two Forestry Service dozers have been on the scene since just after 1:30pm Wednesday. Pack says another dozer from Scott County and one from Union County are enroute. Joining La Follette and Forestry Service Firefighters are units and firefighters with the Campbell County Rural Fire Service.

“Our main concern is to keep the homes just below this fire protected,” said Pack.

The chief reports that the wind continues to be a contributing factor to the growth of the fire. He says the firefighters are holding up well, drinking plenty of water and taking frequent breaks.

Another forest fire is burning on White Oak near Tackett Creek off Highway 90.

Firefighters have been on the scene of a brush/forest fire on the ridge above North 19th Street for more than an hour at this publication (2:35pm). Units and firefighters from La Follette Fire Department and the State of Tennessee Forestry Division are battling the blaze and the wind.

“The wind is the big problem. If it’ll die down, that’ll help. This fire is about 200-feet up the ridge from the residential area,” said Pack.

The staging area is at the top of North 19th Street.

“We’re getting our buts kicked by the wind blowing this fire, but we’re punching pack,” said one firefighter as he requested more water and batteries. Fire jumped one of the fire lines on the west side of the fire with shifting, at times from the north, northwest, winds not helping firefighters at all.

Temperatures in the 60s, unusually warm for a February day, are factoring in as well. The heat is taking its toll, according to Pack.

There are two structures in the vicinity to the fire. “Those structures are safe and still being watched,” said Pack.

“We are making progress, but the wind is just making it so rough,” said the chief.

Two dozers and side-by-sides are being used in this afternoon’s efforts. Firefighters with the Forestry Service were not far behind LFD firefighters arriving on the scene. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 02/21/2024-2:45PM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF NICKOLAS HICKS)

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