Forest Fire Update
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Media Contact: (470) 208-2866
Rock Mountain Fire Update: November 14, 2016 Noon

Quick Facts
Incident Summary 
Size
Rock Mountain: 5,484
Burrell: 150
Fire
Containment:
Rock Mountain: 10%
Burrell: 100%
Incident Commander:
Noel Livingston, PNW Team 3
Resources
on the
Fire
Crews: 5
Engines: 5
Dozers: 2
Water Tender: 1
Helicopters: 2
Total
Personnel
157
Location: Chattooga River District on the Chattahoochee National Forest
The Chatahoochee-Oconee National Forest delegated command of the Rock Mountain Fire and the Burrell Fire in northern Georgia to PNW Team 3. The team provides logistical and planning support to firefighters and local Forest Service employees. While many of the members of the Type 1 incident management team make their homes in the Pacific Northwest, they have firefighting experience in all regions of the United States; some even bring international experience.
Public Meeting: A public fire information briefing is planned for 6:00 p.m. Tuesday night at the Rabun County Courthouse. Fire officials will provide an update on fire operations.

Yesterday’s Activities: Firefighters patrolled Burrell Fire to be sure containment lines continued to hold.
Rock Mountain Fire moved toward Chestnut Mountain. It did not cross Tate Branch Creek and is continuing to hold in Charlies Creek. Firefighters have burned around structures to better protect them against fire spread. An Engine crew continued to patrol around structures through last night.

Today’s Operations: Crews will hold and construct firelines. They will continue to monitor existing containment lines to be sure they hold as leaves continue to fall. They will scout for containment and contingency lines. Helicopters will pull water from the north end of Burton Lake in support of firefighting operations. During the day, helicopters will operate from a base at the intersection of Charlie Mountain and Bridge Creek Roads. They will return to the Toccoa Airport each night.

Weather: Light winds and a high temperature of 61 degrees is predicted for Monday.   The exceptional to extreme drought conditions have served as a major factor in the fire behavior. Fire spread has averaged ½ mile per day and flame lengths are projected to be one to four feet depending on the fuels being burned.
Evacuations:
Rabun County – Call 911 for further information
  • Pre-evacuation for the Plum Orchard community.
  • Evacuation is in place for the Coleman River/Nichols Branch Road areas.
Towns County – Call 706-896-7460 for further information
  • Pre-evacuation for Tate City.
Closures:
  • Charlies Creek Road, off Tallulah River Road.
  • Talullah River Road (Forest Service Road 70).
  • The Appalachian Trail between Dicks Creek Gap, Georgia, to Rock Gap, North Carolina
Fire Information: For more information about the Rock Mountain Fire, call 470-208-2866. Information also is available at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5100 and on the Chattahoochee-Oconee website at www.fs.usda.gov/conf, as well as Facebook and Twitter @ChattOconeeNF. To learn more about Georgia’s national forests, download the forest’s mobile app at http://tinyurl.com/CONFmobileapp.
The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests provide the finest outdoor recreation opportunities and natural resources in Georgia. Featuring nearly 867,000 acres across 26 counties, thousands of miles of clear-running streams and rivers, approximately 850 miles of recreation trails, and dozens of campgrounds, picnic areas, and other recreation activity opportunities, these lands are rich in natural scenery, history and culture. The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.