A fire on Monday, April 30th closed down a portion of the Appalachian Trail. A seven acre fire in the Deer Park area, southwest of Hot Springs, led to the temporary closing of the trail from Garenflo Gap to Hot Springs. The fire is moving down slope toward Highway 209. The only structure currently threatened is the Deer Park Shelter on the Appalachian Trail. Approximately 20 firefighters from the U.S Forest Service and the North Carolina Forest Service are responding to the fire along with NC state aircraft.
