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Fire at Cold Mountain exceeds 100 acres

Fire at Cold Mountain exceeds 100 acres

A wildfire near Cold Mountain in Haywood County was reported at 3 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, and as of 7:30 p.m. Thursday night it had grown to about 106 acres.

The fire is burning within the Shining Rock Wilderness Area on the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest, and the U.S. Forest Service has issued a closure order for the entire area. All recreational uses — including use of its 53 miles of trail — are currently prohibited in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. Use of drones is prohibited as well. Presence of the devices impedes use of firefighting aircraft.

There is no imminent threat to structures at this time, and crews will perform structure protection activities through the day today. On Thursday, 30 firefighters worked the fire with a crew working through the night as well. Agencies involved in the response include the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, Haywood County Emergency Management, Cruso Fire Department and National Park Service.

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