518-acre Buck Creek Fire 100 percent contained

MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Significant rainfall extinguished the remaining heat on the Buck Creek Fire, the U.S. Forest Service said late Tuesday afternoon. The 518-acre wildfire is now 100 percent contained. No houses were lost or damaged in the fire that is burning east of N.C. 80 in the Lake Tahoma area of Marion.

Firefighters responded to the Buck Creek Fire on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 6, when high winds caused multiple fires from downed power lines across McDowell County, the United States Forest Service said in a social media post. Initial efforts were focused on protecting the four houses that were threatened by the fire.

Firefighters worked to install fire beaks near the fire perimeter and used a helicopter to drop water, which slowed fire spread that evening. However, high winds and dry conditions lead to increased fire activity overnight, prompting fire managers to fall back to containment lines last used in the Sugar Cove fire in 2017, the USFS said.

Damage in the area from Tropical Storm Helene meant firefighters had to mitigate hazards from downed and damaged trees as they assessed fire lines. Once firefighters were able to reestablish and secure fire lines, burnout operations were used to increase containment on Saturday evening, the social media post said. Burnout operations successfully removed the remaining fuel between the active fire and the firelines, limiting additional fire spread.

Significant rainfall beginning Sunday night extinguished remaining hot spots, allowing fire managers to transition into a monitoring status for the fire.

Of the 518 acres involved in the Buck Creek Fire, 392 were on U.S. Forest Service lands in the Grandfather Ranger District, part of Pisgah National Forest. The remaining 126 acres were private lands. U.S. Forest Service and N.C. Forest Service resources worked under a unified command. McDowell County Emergency Management, McDowell County Rescue, Enka-Candler Fire and Rescue and local fire departments from Pleasant Gardens, Woodlawn, Hankins and Marion assisted.