News

Firefighters battle Cold Mountain fire

By Bill Moss, Published: February 20, 2017

Firefighters made progress Monday knocking down a 134-acre fire on Cold Mountain thought to have been caused by a neglected campfire.

On Sunday 49 firefighters and support staff were on the scene of the fire in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest, about 20 miles south of Waynesville. The fire on the mountain made famous by Asheville author Charles Frazier's Civil War novel was reported on Friday afternoon.

In an update Monday afternoon, forest rangers said the fight-fighting force had increased to 83, including two crews, two engines and a helicopter. The fire was 50 percent contained. The firefighting effort is cooperatively managed under a unified command structure of the North Carolina Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service.