The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported a wildfire on the shoreline of Lake Allatoona just north of the dam Wednesday morning, continuing a trend of recent fires fueled by drought in North Georgia.
A photo shared by the Corps showed burning leaf litter and heavy smoke in the woods near Cooper Branch, a popular hiking and day-use area just across the lake from Red Top Mountain State Park. A Corps spokesman said rangers noticed the fire near their offices around 7:30 a.m. and concluded that it was probably caused by a tossed cigarette.
The fire was fully contained by noon but burned nearly seven acres in Bartow County near Cartersville.
An ongoing drought in North Georgia, falling leaves and gusty winds have created ideal conditions for wildfires. Wet weather over the weekend did little to alleviate persistent dryness caused by unusually low rainfall totals in September and October.
“Please be reminded that we are in very dry weather conditions around the lake. Unattended campfires and thrown-out cigarettes can turn into something much larger,” a Corps statement said.
Earlier this month, the Georgia Forestry Commission released a statement advising against any planned outdoor burning. At least five large fires have burned in Georgia in recent weeks, the most serious of which affected more than 700 acres in Walker County.
According to the GFC, that fire was caused by arson Oct. 21 and proved difficult to extinguish. About two weeks into the fight, crews faced a setback when the blaze escaped containment Nov. 2. It took firefighters several more days of working in remote, mountainous terrain before the wildfire was considered 99% contained. The Georgia Arson Control Program is offering a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspected arsonist.
Anyone with information about the arson incident is asked to contact the GFC at 1-800-GA-TREES (428-7337).
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