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Contact:
Southern Area Red Team
2025.RattlesnakeBranch@firenet.gov
(828) 519-8242
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ncncf-rattlesnake-branch
https://www.facebook.com/nfsnc/

Rattlesnake Branch Fire Daily Update -- April 3, 2025

CRUSO, N.C., April 3, 2025 – The Rattlesnake Branch Fire is on private land and the Shining Rock Wilderness Area on Pisgah National Forest around the community of Cruso, approximately 11 miles southeast of Waynesville, North Carolina. It started on March 26, 2025, and quickly spread due to dry conditions of the hardwood leaves and branches on the ground. The cause remains under investigation.

The fire is approximately 1,843 acres and 26 percent contained, equating to 93 percent of the fire under a containment strategy. The reduction in acreage is due to better mapping. Nearly 180 personnel are on the fire.

Yesterday’s Activities

Firefighters made good progress yesterday, increasing containment in the Crawford Creek area. They used intelligence gathered from an infrared flight by the drone to find hot spots. Crews mopped them up in Crawford Creek and around homes in Cruso. Structure protection remained a focus of work in the Burnette Cove Road area and structure assessments continued throughout areas around the fire. Firefighters connected fire lines in Lenoir Creek west to Dix Creek. They scouted areas to extend fire containment lines further west and south. Isolated rain showers fell overnight, with some areas possibly receiving up to an inch of precipitation.

Today’s Activities

Due to the good work firefighters have done to contain the fire and construct fire lines, moderated fire activity, and predicted wet weather, firefighters and equipment will begin to be released from the fire today. Management of the fire will transition to monitoring and patrolling, as well as completing data collection for structure protection and potential places for fire line construction. Most of the assessment work will be done northwest and west of the fire, especially in areas near the Camp Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp, including the Fazier and Little East Fork Road systems.

Because the complexity of managing remaining work has decreased, the Southern Area Red Complex Management Team will transition to a Type 3 (smaller) organization on Saturday morning.

A drone is assigned to the fire to help with mapping and reconnaissance and will fly over the fire today. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are available, if needed.

Weather/Fire Behavior: Today will be partly cloudy with a 40-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. The high temperature will be 69-75 degrees with 43-47 percent minimum relative humidity. Winds will be south to southwest, 10-14 mph with gusts 13-27 mph.

Minimal fire activity is expected again today. Heat retained in large logs and dead trees may come to life. Live and dead vegetation on the ground may become receptive to fire in exposed areas on southern-facing or canopy-damaged slopes and ridges later in the day if cloud cover decreases. Air quality information is available at Smoke Outlook for Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina, www.airnow.gov and www.wildlandfiresmoke.net.

Closures and Restrictions: The Pisgah National Forest has issued an area closure of the Shining Rock Wilderness Area to protect the public from wildfire and firefighting operations. This closure includes all National Forest System land between US-276 and NC-215 north of the Blue Ridge Parkway (between mile markers 405 and 420). Please stay safe and keep out of these areas.

A temporary flight restriction is in effect in and around the fire area. This includes use of personal drones. If you fly, we cannot fly!

For wildfire updates, follow the National Forests in North Carolina on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nfsnc or visit https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ncncf-rattlesnake-branch.