Cause of wildfire in NC’s Linville Gorge confirmed as crews contain blaze to 3 acres

U.S. Forest Service map

Fire crews have gotten the wildfire in North Carolina’s Linville Gorge Wilderness Area under control, the U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday.

The blaze, discovered Sunday afternoon, scorched more than five acres along Brushy Ridge before a “hotshot crew” of 52 firefighters used a fire line to stop the spread, forest service officials said on Facebook Tuesday.

“The final containment area of the fire is 3 acres,” the post said. “Today, fire crews returned to the fire to monitor and mop-up remaining hot spots near the fire lines. While there are currently no active flames, hot spots may remain in the interior of the fire until significant rainfall is received.”

Investigators have confirmed an abandoned campfire caused the wildfire, according to the forest service. “Anyone with information about the cause of the fire is encouraged to call the Grandfather Ranger District Law Enforcement Officer at 828-652-2144,” the forest service said.

The Brushy Ridge Trail has been closed indefinitely, but all other trails in the gorge have been reopened, officials said.

The gorge is about 110 miles northwest of Charlotte in Burke County. Forest service officials say the fire was centered “in a hard to reach location, 2.5 miles down into the gorge” where the terrain is steep and vegetation is thick.

Linville Gorge, a part of of the Pisgah National Forest, is a remote wilderness area where the Linville River descends more than 2,000 feet toward Lake James, according to VisitNC.com. The gorge includes more than 12,000 acres of forest, 39 miles of trails and the 90-foot-high Linville Falls, according to DiscoveryBurkeCounty.com.