TN guardsmen drop water from helicopters as crews fight Smokies wildfire

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Tennessee National Guard is assisting in efforts to fight wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park shared that efforts were underway to suppress a wildfire, named the Flint Gap Fire , near Hannah Mountain, south of Abrams Creek. The fire was first reported to the park on the evening of August 26.

Starting on August 27, the TN National Guard provided four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion. The helicopters left McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base with Bambi Buckets used to provide hundreds of gallons of water to fight wildfires.

“Each aircraft made multiple trips throughout the afternoon, picking up water from nearby water sources and transporting it directly to the needed area. The aircrews delivered more than 40 bucket loads of water, totaling nearly 8,000 gallons,” wrote the Guard in a release.

On August 28, three helicopters flew missions delivering water to suppress the fire. The Guard shared that they are prepared to continue supporting the firefighting efforts as long as needed.

GSMNP shared that as of Tuesday, August 27 at noon the fire was estimated to be about 10 acres. The fire has also led to several closures within the park .

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