Upper Cumberland Can See Large Wildfires; Prevention Up To Residents

Wildfires can impact the Upper Cumberland at higher rates due to the rural nature of the area.

Division of Forestry Communications Leader Tim Phelps said the entire region is more prone to wildland fires. Phelps encouraged people to prepare wildfires by keeping roofs clear of flammable debris such as leaves and branches, storing firewood away from their houses, and keeping flammable vegetation away from their homes.

“9 out of 10 fires are caused by humans, so where are the humans?” Phelps said. “That means escaped debris fires, it means if a house catches on fire, or a barn, embers that drift away from those structures getting in there.”

Phelps said it can be more difficult to respond to fires in the Upper Cumberland because of how rural it is.

“Driving through the gulf and over the mountains and whatnot takes us a little bit more time,” Phelps said “So that’s potentially why the fires sometimes get a little bigger out there, because they are rural and sometimes even actually difficult to find.”

Phelps said steeper areas like cliffs and bluffs also pose a challenge to firefighters.

“If a fire gets into an area like that, it’s very difficult to contain because we can’t get our folks in there, we can’t get our equipment in there,” Phelps said. “So we have to just strategically evaluate where to best put in containment lines and work it the best we can.”

Phelps said Tennessee Wildland Fire Program has handled wildland fire prevention, suppression, and prescription across Tennessee for over 100 years as part of the Division of Forestry.

“We got our start around 1914, and at that time it was mostly to plant trees in heavily denuded areas that were just abused land, essentially,” Phelps said.