TWRA is asking Off-Highway Vehicle riders to use caution as crews work to contain wildfires on the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland WMA.
Lack of rainfall and unseasonably warm weather over the last few weeks has left much of East Tennessee dry and favorable for wildfires. Unfortunately, firefighting crews from the Tennessee Department of Forestry are battling three separate wildfires that started on the management area just over a week ago.
TWRA OHV Wildlife Manager Rusty Dunn is asking OHV riders to be respectful of the firefighting crews and be aware of the danger of downed and falling trees as a result of the fires. He also reports that Trail 27 connecting the Ride Royal Blue campground to the riding area will be closed until the danger of fire has passed. Riders can use Trail 13 at Meredith Cemetery off Stinking Creek for access to the trails and that the rest of the trails will remain open at this time.
At this time, TWRA is not certain what started the fires or exactly how much area has been affected, but once the fires are extinguished, a good assessment can be made of how many acres were involved.