Much needed rainfall arrived to the fires burning in the mid-Atlantic Tuesday into Wednesday with a widespread 1-2" over some of the more active fires including the Black Bear, Matts Creek and Sauratown. Though smoke and flames are suppressed thanks to the rainfall, the fires aren't 100% out, meaning smolder along with embers and flames is likely still happening. Over the next few days the winds will be gusty in the region, so additional spread or reignition of the fire is possible.
Large fires in Virginia and North Carolina started in the last few weeks under dry and breezy conditions. Some of our largest include the Black Bear fire is burning on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina after starting last week from a vehicle fire on I-40.
Additional fires, strong winds and heavy rainfall in Tennessee prompted the closures of campgrounds and roads in Great Smokey Mountain N.P.! The Matts Creek fire has continued to grow in size, now over 10k acres in western Virginia. An additional fire north of Winston-Salem started Saturday night and has prompted evacuations on Sauratown mountain.