Transformer sparks wildfire near Clinch River Brewing
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A wildfire burns on a hillside Satuurday above Clinch River Brewing along Norris Freeway/U.S. 441 in Norris. Norris fire officials said a blown electrical transformer sparked the blaze, which was extinguished by the Norris Fire Department, with assistance from several other agencies. No injuries or damage to buildings were reported. - Submitted
A wildfire that broke out behind Clinch River Brewing on Norris Freeway on Saturday afternoon forced the evacuation of the business as a precaution, and required hours of work from dozens of firefighters to bring it under control.
Norris Fire Chief Rick Roach said the fire was apparently started by a faulty electric power transformer on the hill behind the brewery at about 1 p.m.
He said an Anderson County deputy sheriff was parked nearby at the time and heard several “popping” sounds, then saw the flames beginning on the grass under a row of power lines.
Norris firefighters were immediately called to the scene, along with backup from other nearby departments, and began trying to control the rapidly spreading fire.
At one point early on, the afternoon’s strong winds shifted toward the brewery, which prompted the fire officials to ask that the building be evacuated.
Roach told the Norris City Council on Monday night that the wind then shifted into the opposite direction, but the brewery remained closed the rest of the day as a precaution.
The fire spread into the woods above the brewery, and firefighters continued their suppression efforts – even using bulldozers brought in by the state Division of Forestry – until the blaze was brought under control at about 8 p.m.
Heavy rain that began around 8 p.m. was credited with helping stop the fire from spreading farther into the woods.
Roach said that had it not been for the rain, the fire “probably would have burned all the way to the [Norris] lake.”
No injuries or damage to structures were reported, other than a few scorched power poles in the area where the fire apparently began.
The blaze did flare up again slightly on Sunday, which brought Forestry Division bulldozers back out to keep it from spreading, Roach said.
Fire departments assisting Norris with fighting the blaze included Andersonville, Marlow, Rocky Top, Medford, and Claxton, who were joined by the state Division of Forestry, Anderson County Emergency Management Agency, Anderson County Emergency Medical Services, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Norris Police Department, Tennessee State Parks, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
