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NPS: Flint Gap Fire now 95% contained

The fire was initially caused by lightning on Aug. 26, according to the National Park Service.

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — LATEST UPDATE (9/24): 

The National Park Service said the Flint Gap Fire is now 95% contained. 

"Firefighters have had great success in quickly reducing the threat from the fire in this remote area of the park," NPS said. 

Crews have observed very little fire activity and will continue to monitor the fire and take additional actions as needed.

Parson Branch Road and some park trails remain closed. You can check NPS' website for road closures and other updates before visiting.

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PREVIOUS (9/23): 

The National Park Service said the Flint Gap Fire is now 75% contained. The fire has been burning now for almost a month. 

According to NPS, crews have had great success in reducing the threat from the fire in the previous days. 

Parson Branch Road and some park trails remain closed. You can check NPS' website for road closures and other updates before visiting.

PREVIOUS (9/20): The Flint Gap Fire is now estimated to be 58 acres, according to the National Park Service.

They said only a few areas are actively burning as of Friday. The fire is 50% contained. In a release, the park service said firefighters could access the fire, located in a steep and remote area of the park, and secured much of its edge.

A few areas continue to burn along the edge, however. Fire managers are also continuing to implement a full suppression strategy. The Olympic Wildland Fire Module arrived at the park on Friday, a group of skilled personnel who specialize in working to put out remote wildfires.

NPS said that nearly one inch of rain fell on the fire over the last few days. They said that rain alone is unlikely to extinguish the fire but it did significantly slow fire growth. While fire activity is currently minimal, there is a potential for increased burning as leaves drop and weather conditions change, according to NPS. 

Crews are working to improve existing trails to allow for more efficient access to the fire.

Resources on the fire include ground crews and a Type 3 helicopter. Park management and fire staff have ordered two additional crews and expect them to arrive Friday, NPS said. 

Parson Branch Road and some park trails remain closed. You can check NPS' website for road closures and other updates before visiting.

PREVIOUS (9/13): The Flint Gap Fire is now estimated to be 46 acres, according to the National Park Service. 

The wildfire is burning slowly in a remote area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fire is presently 0% contained, but few areas are actively burning and only low flames were visible throughout the week, NPS said. 

Resources on the fire include ground crews and a Type 3 helicopter. Park and fire staff are ordering more resources, however, a lot are currently being used on stronger wildfires in the west of the United States. 

Parson Branch Road and some park trails and backcountry campsites are currently closed due to wildfire activity. 

PREVIOUS (9/11): 

The Flint Gap Fire continues to burn slowly in a remote area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The National Park Service said the fire is estimated to be roughly 28 acres and is not contained. The fire, which was caused by lightning on Aug. 26, has grown minimally over the last several days due to weather conditions, according to NPS.

Rain is expected this weekend which will likely slow but not extinguish the fire, NPS said.

The park said management and the fire incident management team are implementing a strategy to safely and effectively suppress the fire. 

Resources to putting out the fire includes ground crews and a Type 3 helicopter, according to the park. They said crews are monitoring the fire and working to identify areas where they can safely contain it. 

No structures have been reported threatened at this time.

Parson Branch Road along with some park trail and backcountry campsites are closed at this time due to the fire.

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