Western North Carolina Recovering From Wildfires

Western North Carolina has experienced a rash of wildfires over the past year. But as WFDD's Eddie Garcia reports, recovery is underway.

The areas near Chimney Rock and Lake Lure were hit particularly hard by the blazes. But officials with Chimney Rock State Park say visitors won't likely notice any difference.

In the Lake Lure area, more damage was caused by digging trenches to stop or slow the spread of fire than the fire itself.

The North Carolina Forest Service says the flames were never hot enough to consume entire trees. This is a major reason why damage isn't as visible. The flames stayed close to the ground, burning up leaves, which is actually good for plant growth.

Hundreds of firefighters worked tirelessly last fall and winter to extinguish over 7,000 acres of wildfires in this area. Some evacuations were ordered during this time, and thankfully no people were injured, and no property was destroyed.