Two additional fires started burning today on Signal Mountain and Mowbray Mountain, according to a press release from Amy Maxwell with Hamilton County Emergency Services.
Crews are working to control the fire on Signal Mountain in the 2200 block of Little Bend Road that caused residents to worry about the smoke.
At 9:30 p.m. the fire on Signal Mountain had not yet been contained although responders with the Tennessee Forestry Division were using five dozers to create fire breaks, according to Maxwell.
“In the evening it looks worse because you can see the glow,” she said.
She also clarified that when responders are working to contain a fire, they are primarily building lines to halt its advance rather than actively dumping water on burning material.
Despite all the smoke hanging billowing over the community, a supervisor with the Signal Mountain Fire Department said the homes nearest the 25-acre fire were over a mile away and not in any immediate danger.
He said fire crews were standing by in case additional manpower was needed. But after weeks of wildfires, some residents took to social media to look for information about what was happening.
“We just came up the gap and there were fire trucks and emergency vehicles on Mill Creek. There is also a lot of smoke in the air in Boston Branch. Does anyone know what is going on and where the fire is?” asked Mary Roberts in a public group on Facebook.
Additional crews contained an approximately 10 acre fire on Mowbray Mountain, according to the release.
The Mowbray Mountain fire is under control but will continue to burn for several days, forestry personnel told Maxwell.