Warren County, Tn., officials said Tuesday afternoon that a wildfire that began on Monday afternoon was still not under control and had jumped a ridge.
The Sheriff's Office said the fire was moving in the direction of the Hills Creek community.
Sheriff Jackie Matheny said he was not asking for a voluntary evacuation of Hills Creek residents at this time, but urges these residents to keep watch, and monitor all the social media outlets covering the fire.
Residents of Ishal Road were being asked to evacuate immediately.
At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee National Guard has provided two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to support the wildfire response in Warren County.
Around 9:30 a.m., one Blackhawk helicopter departed from Nashville’s Berry Field Air National Guard Base with a Bambi Bucket used to provide hundreds of gallons of water to fight wildfires. The aircraft will make multiple trips into the affected area dropping hundreds of gallons of water from the air. The helicopter will pick up water from nearby water sources and transport it directly to where it is needed.
The second Blackhawk helicopter is currently on standby and ready to assist when needed.
Bambi Buckets are a specialized bucket system suspended from a helicopter to deliver water for aerial firefighting. Each bucket has a release valve on the bottom which is controlled by the helicopter crew.
The Tennessee National Guard is prepared to support the Warren County’s firefighting effort for as long as they are needed, it was stated.
Authorities said the fire was started by a man who was trespassing. He was taken into custody.