Investigators have found that the damaging brush fire on Lookout Mountain this past weekend was caused by a rockslide.
The fire, first reported Saturday morning, eventually reached and damaged a portion of the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, which now faces months of repair work.
A “freeze/thaw action” likely led to a rockslide around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release Wednesday from the National Park Service.
(READ MORE: Moore: Has Chattanooga’s Incline Railway ever had an accident?)
Large boulders tumbled from the top of Lookout Mountain toward Ochs Highway, investigators said. The boulders struck many trees and other stationary boulders along the way, the agency said, creating immense heat and sparks.