"Come at Once. Manpower Insufficient."--Coffey, May 3, 1926

Entire Northwest Corner of Grandfather’s Mountain Is Seething Mass of Flames. . . Fire Fighters in Great Demand Now. . . All Available Men Are Fighting Flames and Apparatus Being Rushed Now to Linville Region. . . McDowell County Fire Is Halted. . . 600 Men Were Called Into Service to Fight Blaze on a 10-Mile Front

Asheville, May 3 (AP)—The entire northwest boundary of Grandfather’s Mountain, division of Pisgah National Forest, is aflame in one of the most violent conflagrations of the spring fire season, it was reported today at the office of the U.S. Forestry Service here.

Repeated calls for aid were wired into the offices of Supervisor M.A. Mattoon during the day, and all the available men and fire fighting apparatus were being rushed to the Linville region. Early reports from Monroe Coffey, ranged in the Grandfather Mountain Forest, stated that a bad fire was burning along Upper Creek Falls, Winding Stair Knob, and across Cold Mountain.

The latest wire from the scene of the fire read: “Whole northwest boundary of this forest is burning. Come at once; man power insufficient. Coffey.”

J.W. McNair, assistant supervisor of Pisgah Forest, left early in the day for the fire, and efforts were being made to reach Supervisor Mattoon, who was out, in another section of the timberlands that was reported in danger, that he might go to Linville to direct fighting the flames.

Late Sunday night the 5,000-acre fire that was devastating the forest along the Buncombe-McDowell County line near Ridgecrest was placed under control on the Buncombe county side of the line. For a time fire fighters had abandoned their work of checking threatened destruction but late last night the humidity rose and forest placed the blaze under control.

On the McDowell county side, however, serious trouble was placed yesterday, officials of the county issued an order conscripting 600 men for service in fighting the blaze, and there with the other fighters were spread over the 10-mile front. The fire was reported under control in a measure today.

The fires started from escaping sparks in a concrete mixer at Ridgecrest Dam and destroyed the holdings of Col. D.W. Adams, local realtor, including the Catawba Fish & Game Reserve, together with hundreds of acres in other sections and about 120 acres of government owned property.

A large fire was reported burning near Waynesville also.

From the front page of the Concord Times, Monday, May 3, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn91068271/1926-05-03/ed-1/seq-1/