Wildfire threatens Yahoo Falls
Alum fire grows to 550 acres on the boundary of the Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
A large wildfire in McCreary County is threatening the Yahoo Falls area of the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area.
The Alum fire, which is burning mostly south of Kentucky Highway 700 around the intersection with Yahoo Falls Road, has consumed 550 acres as of 9:30 p.m. Sunday evening. Its cause remains undetermined.
South Kentucky RECC said Sunday evening that one of its employees was responding to a power outage Sunday and discovered the fire.
The National Park Service said Sunday evening that the fire is burning on the Daniel Boone National Forest, approximately 300 yards east of the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, and that both residences and NPS infrastructure are threatened by the fire.
The NPS is considering a strategic burnout operation that could involve up to 200 acres of the Big South Fork NRRA along Yahoo Falls Road, in an attempt to mitigate the fire's potential spread. The area being considered for a burnout is adjacent to the Yahoo Falls trailhead.
Road and trail closures are expected along Alum Road, which leads to Alum Ford, and the Yahoo Falls area within the Big South Fork NRRA.
Conditions are favorable for the continued spread of the fire. While there are slight rain chances in the forecast for Monday, the forest is currently very dry and winds are expected to continue to pick back up and gust to 20 mph after sunrise on Monday.
As many as 65 firefighting personnel are on the scene of the fire.