Crews Work to Contain 200-Acre English Mountain Fire in Sevier County

Officials said Monday morning that firefighting crews have the 200-acre English Mountain fire 70% contained.

Crews from the Tennessee Department of Forestry will light backfires again today in an effort to contain a fire located in the Breeden Brand Road and Wildwood Way area on English Mountain in Sevier County. The fire grew to 200 acres over the weekend since first reported to Sevier County dispatch Friday night. No homes are directly threatened at this time. Smoke from the fire could be seen in both Sevier County and Cocke County.

English Mountain Fire Location

Fire location on Breeden Brand Road and Wildwood Way area on English Mountain in Sevier County.

The area is remote and not accessible by roads, with a steep and rocky terrain hampering firefighting efforts. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said crews were also contending with insects and venomous snakes.

What does containment mean? For 100% containment, crews will have bulldozed or hand-dug lines completely around the fire, or used natural elements like a creek or road to keep the fire restricted to a particular area. Once a fire is contained, crews can continue to extinguish the flames or control the situation until the fire burns out.

What does it mean to backfire? To backfire is to set a fire along the inner edge of a fire line to consume the fuel in the path of a wildfire and to change the direction or force of the fire. It is essentially “fighting fire with fire.”

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture released this video of the English Mountain fire on Sunday.

The National Weather Service in Morristown forecasts a chance of rain on Tuesday.

Photos and Video: Tennessee Department of Agriculture/Facebook