Rain helps in effort to fight 1,000-acre wildfires in Linville Falls

*KR note...it seems that every year there is a major fire in that area. Good or bad that it has happen already??*

LINVILLE FALLS – The rain helped, but fire crews Saturday continued to fight three major wildfires that have scorched more than 1,000 acres in Western North Carolina.

“The weather definitely has helped us secure some of the lines today,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Terry Seyden said of a 450-acre wildfire in McDowell County near Linville Falls. “The fire is definitely not out. If we get a drying trend with winds, there’s still a lot of dead trees in the area, and as we dry out, we could start burning actively again.”

That wildfire started from a house blaze early Friday.

Residents of the Oconee Falls subdivision were evacuated Friday but were allowed to return Saturday evening, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Deborah Walker said. However, the residents will have to leave again Sunday morning cut down on traffic for fire equipment, Walker said.

There are 11 homes in the subdivision. Residents will be allowed to return home again tonight.

“There is no concern with the homes being burned at this point. It’s just for the traffic on these narrow, windy roads,” Walker said.

Seyden said he expected crews would continue to battle the blaze for several days.

“We’re going to be looking at strengthening the lines and we may have to do some burn outs to secure the outside edges of the fire,” he said.