Photo Submitted by Brandy MillerWHITE COUNTY, Tenn. – The White County Sheriff's Department said a wildfire has burned between 60 and 80 acres in a remote wooded area south of Sparta.
Officials said crews were battling two fires, one in White County, and one in Cumberland County. The fire in White County burned on the Bowaters Paper Company property.
The fire spread to several different areas Friday afternoon, including Eastland Cemetery Road and Eastland Road, as well as Highway 70/Crossville Highway.
Crews worked for hours and brought in heavy equipment to help bring the fire under control.
"They'll take a dozer in there with a big plow type device on the back and make a large trench through the woods there. And sometimes they'll even start a backfire on the opposite side of that to catch up with the fire, or let the fire burn to that point," said Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency spokesman Dan Hicks.
The fire initially broke out around 10:30 a.m. Thursday near the White/Cumberland County line.
It was located in a remote area adjacent to the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness area.
No homes, or other buildings were damaged in the fire and no one was injured.
Cumberland County Emergency Management officials did have an emergency evacuation plan in place if the fire had moved closer to property in the area.
Late Friday night a Sparta dispatcher said the fire was brought under control at 7:30 p.m., but crews were going to be on the scene for several more hours to keep an eye on the situation.
