NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee is experiencing high wind gusts that have fueled wildfires across the state, with two of those fires still burning in Middle Tennessee.
According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Forestry division, Tuesday night, 117 wildfires covering more than 1,500 acres were burning. As of Wednesday morning, five active wildfires continued to burn across Tennessee.
In Humphreys County, 4 a.m. Wednesday, TDA data shows a half-acre fire on Brazzle Road was reported to be fully contained.
In Cumberland County, a fire in Fairfield Glade that impacted 75 acres on Browntown Road was reported to be 50% contained just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Residents evacuated late Tuesday night, but after rain showers moved into the region the evacuation notice was lifted at 11 p.m. The Fairfield Glade Police Department said many residents were without power, and the timeline for power restoration was unclear.
As of Wednesday morning, Volunteer Energy Cooperative, which serves Cumberland County, reported more than 17,000 outages.
In East Tennessee, as of 4 a.m. Wednesday, a fire on Rafter Road in Monroe County was 25% contained after impacting 67 acres.
Just south of Rafter Road, a fire that started on Holder Cemetary Road has burned through 200 acres of land, according to TDA data. Officials said over 20 agencies from surrounding counties responded Tuesday after four wildfires sparked in the area. It was last reported to be 15% contained at 4 a.m Wednesday.
In Sevier County, TDA data shows a fire on East Parkway was last reported to be 0% contained as of midnight Wednesday. According to the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency, crews battled several brushfires overnight and managed to contain several with the help of rainfall. Evacuations were ordered across the county, but were lifted early Wednesday morning. SCEMA said two structures were damaged in the fires.
Officials warn that the risk of fires remains high due to strong winds and changing conditions.
A Wind Advisory remains in effect for all of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
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