Wildfires ravage Southeast
- Two juveniles arrested, charged in deadly Gatlinburg wildfires
- Tennessee takes four area counties off burn ban list to aid tornado cleanup
- Rain helps with area wildfires, but Tennessee burn ban remains [videos, photos]
- Gatlinburg wildfires death toll climbs to 14; officials estimate 1,684 structures damaged or destroyed
- Nonprofits and state agencies step up relief efforts amid tornado, wildfire damage
- Man charged for allegedly intentionally setting a Sequatchie County wildfire
- Rain brings relief for wildfires
- Southern storms should ease drought, but fire threat remains
- At long last, substantial rain is expected throughout Chattanooga area
- Gov. Bill Haslam applauds wildfire fighters' efforts
- Firefighters make progress in Southeast wildfires, but threat remains
- Crews fighting large fire in northeast Alabama
- Gov. Haslam vows to pursue wildfire arsonists 'with everything we have'
- Hamilton County wildfires to cost more than $600,000
- Forestry crews prepared to miss Thanksgiving with families as they battle wildfires
- Wildfires rage on; new one pops up in North Georgia
- Gasp! Wildfires cause hacking and wheezing across the South
- Air quality improves, rain possible this weekend
- Relentless smoke spreads fear at edge of southern wildfires
- Catoosa County issues burn ban
- Many outdoor activities banned as fires burn across south
- Two men charged with arson as crews make progress quelling 3 area blazes
- Chattanooga is on target to break record for driest year in city's history
- Alabama man confesses to starting Sequatchie County fire
- Area wildfires containment increases, Flipper Bend fire 95 percent contained
- Catholic Mass offered for wildfire relief
- Fire crews hope to reach 100 percent containment on 3 area wildfires
- Wildfire smoke engulfs Chattanooga, endangering health of residents
- No rain in forecast as Chattanooga area wildfires continue to burn
- Tennessee Gov. Haslam issues 51-county burning ban
- Firefighters use hand tools to fight Chattanooga-area wildfires with no rain in sight
- Hundreds hospitalized with breathing problems amid Chattanooga-area wildfire outbreak
- Sohn: Might wildfire smoke be harbinger of days to come?
- New fires sprout in Chattanooga area as firefighters work to contain thousands of acres burning across region
- Arson suspected in most Chattanooga area wildfires
- UPDATE: Man arrested after admitting he set three wildfires that consumed 300 acres
- The latest update on the unprecedented fire season in the tri-state area
- Wildfires burning total of 9,680 acres across eastern half of Tennessee; FEMA steps in to offer aid [videos, photo galleries]
- Southern fires rage with 41.6 million now living in drought
- Wildfires continue across region with no rain imminent; some residents evacuated
- Chattanooga area wildfire smoke triggers 'Code Red' air quality alert [videos]
Here's a hearty thank you to the many firefighters locally and from other states who are working to control and douse the nearly 200 wildfires burning in the Southeast right now - many in East Tennessee, North Georgia and Northeast Alabama, according to a U.S. Forest Service map of active fires.
Federal authorities said 50 of the active fires comprise 100 acres or more, including a 27,000 acre blaze in Fannin County, Ga., that was only 40 percent contained on Friday, as well as a 1,000-acre fire in the Flipper Bend area of Signal Mountain and Walden's Ridge, and another 700-acre blaze near Poe Road on the Walden's Ridge side of Soddy-Daisy. Both of the Walden's Ridge fires were nearing control on Friday.
Across the region, this has been a monumental task requiring the help of more than 5,000 firefighters and support staff from around the nation, including Florida and Nevada.
Thanks also is due to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which offered Tennessee financial aid for the Flipper Bend fire as it burned its way through steep ravines and craggy woods to threaten homes and prompt evacuations.
Regional aviation director Shardul Raval of the U.S. Forest Service said local firefighting efforts included about 40 aircraft, with three large air tankers flying out of Chattanooga.
Those evacuated have since been allowed to return to their still safe homes, but the smoke and its resultant Code Red air alerts sent about 250 people to local emergency rooms with asthma and respiratory problems.
And while the worst of the local blazes seems past, we're not out of the burning woods just yet.
The rain forecast for this weekend is not expected to be enough to either stop the remaining blazes or quell the dangers of new ones, and we likely will have to wait until Thanksgiving for another rain chance.
As of Thursday, the tri-state region was locked in what the U.S. Drought Monitor terms "exceptional drought."
"Approximately 302 of Tennessee's 480 water systems are experiencing some level of drought impact, ranging from moderate to exceptional. At least three counties have requested water for residents whose wells have run completely dry of water," according to the Nov. 15 National Drought Summary.
With conditions like these, wildfires are not unusual, but that doesn't make them any easier to bear.
Adding insult to injury, many of the fires were believed to be the work of arsonists, and at least three men have been arrested - one locally and two others in Kentucky. At least three fires in Georgia are thought to be the work of arsonists, according to authorities.
Again - thank you, thank you, thank you, weary firefighters. And thank you, too, fire investigators.
