As winter nears, the National Part Service’s Southern Area has not stopped seeing forest fires — some of which require helicopters aiding the firefighting effort. The service’s Nov. 30 incident report listed 20 ongoing uncontained large fires in that zone, which comprises 13 states and Puerto Rico. Helicopters have been seen over the past few weeks in North Carolina and Tennessee.
Erickson Sky Cranes were seen dumping water in North Carolina last week, fighting the Party Rock fire in Chimney Rock State Park. After almost a month of raging, the 7,142-acre fire reached 100% containment Tuesday. But when those Sky Cranes cleared out, Sikorsky Black Hawks stepped in earlier this week in Tennessee.
Local news outlets report that 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the Tennessee National Guard is supplying two firefighting and one search and rescue Sikorsky Black Hawk, which will operate out of the airport in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. An Airbus Helicopters UH-72 Lakota is also reportedly joining the effort, offering search and rescue capabilities.
Named “Chimney Tops 2,” the fire started Nov. 23 in Sevier County, Tennessee. It started in the Great Smoky Mountains, but has since made its way into residential areas near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Chimney Tops 2 has already become 15,500 acres large and was at 10% containment on Tuesday. CNN reported that the fires have killed seven people, injured 53 and damaged more than 700 buildings.