Firefighters battling a wildfire burning for six days in western North Carolina said they have made enough progress to start reducing crews.
The U.S. Forest Service said Friday that crews reached 95% containment of the Jumping Branch Fire in McDowell County. Firefighters were being reassigned or released as others continued to put out hot spots and aircraft monitored.
The fire, which was reported Sunday, was estimated at 420 acres northwest of Marion. The fire has burned in an area of the Pisgah National Forest where Hurricane Helene in September 2024 downed branches and trees that have fed the blaze and complicated access for firefighters…