WATAUGA COUNTY, NC (November 30, 2016)…The Horton fire is 90% contained and 1,450 acres. There are approximately 50 resources on the fire. Firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol the perimeter, extinguishing hotspots. Although the rain significantly cooled surface heat, only a ¼ inch of was received overnight. This is not enough moisture to cool deep-seated pockets of heat that hold out in stump holes.
Steep terrain, hidden hotspots and snags pose hazards to firefighters mopping up hotspots. Fire managers are developing a rehabilitation plan with North Carolina State Forest Service for the Horton Fire area. This plan involves, to the extent possible, returning the landscape that has been modified during firefighting operations to its original state.
The Incident Command Post has moved to the Blowing Rock Fire Department. Information for Horton Fire will be posted through Friday on HortonFire.blogspot.com, Twitter @FireHorton, and on the Watauga County Emergency Management Facebook page. The Horton Fire information line (828-201-2885) will be active through 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 2.
