The Crooked Creek fire in Old Fort burned 250 acres through the evening of Jan. 29, but is currently at 55% containment, according to an update the morning of Jan. 30 from McDowell County’s Office of Emergency Management. The evacuation order for affected areas was lifted at 8 a.m., Jan. 30, allowing residents to return to their homes.
The Crooked Creek fire burned through the night on Jan. 29, reaching 250 acres. The fire has been contained at 55%, according to the McDowell County Office of Emergency Management.
One home had damages from the fire, according to the county, but no injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the blaze. The fire started quickly on Jan. 29, and McDowell County set evacuation orders for areas along Bat Cave Road. Emergency personnel will continue to remain on site to monitor the situation and ensure containment of the fire, the office said.
Local officials, including the Buncombe County Fire Marshal, discouraged open burning on Jan. 29 due to periods of high winds through the area. McDowell County said the fire was likely fed by high winds while North Carolina Rep. Dudley Greene, a Republican who represents Avery, McDowell and Mitchell counties, said the wildfire was “probably, at least partially fueled by debris” resulting from Tropical Storm Helene on Sept. 27, during the Jan. 29 North Carolina House Select Committee on Helene Recovery meeting.
The Crooked Creek fire burned through the night on Jan. 29, reaching 250 acres. The fire has been contained at 55%, according to the McDowell County Office of Emergency Management.
North Fork Fire breaks out in McDowell
Firefighters are also responding to a fire above the North Fork of the Catawba River in McDowell. The fire was reported at 4 p.m. on Jan. 29. As of 10:36 a.m. Jan. 30, 60 acres had burned in the area, but no “imminent threat to structures or evacuation orders are in place,” according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
Firefighters monitor the North Fork fire through the night of Jan. 29, 2025.
The Mountain to Sea Trail between U.S. Route 221 and Dobson Knob, Bald Mountain Road and Graveyard Mountain Road are closed for the safety of the public and firefighters. Recreationists are asked to avoid the area.
This story will be updated
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Old Fort wildfire now at 250 acres, 55% contained; Evacuation orders lifted
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