Bullhead Mountain, with scars from the 2016 Smokies wildfires

Fire and drought

Tennessee Wildfires and Drought

Current wildfire and prescribed fire incidents in Tennessee, and the share of the state in drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Fire incidentsDrought
  • Fires checked every 30 minutes
  • Drought map weekly

Photo: Bullhead Mountain, with scars from the 2016 Smokies wildfires. Thomson200, CC0

Map

Tennessee fires and drought at a glance

2Fires listed
0Not fully contained
60%Of the state in drought
34%Severe drought or worse
Benton CountyBledsoe CountyCampbell CountyClay CountyCoffee CountyDyer CountyGrainger CountyHardeman CountyHickman CountyKnox CountyLoudon CountyMarshall CountyMorgan CountyPolk CountyScott CountyUnion CountyWashington CountyWhite CountyWilson CountyBradley CountyCarroll CountyCheatham CountyClaiborne CountyCrockett CountyCumberland CountyDeKalb CountyFayette CountyFentress CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHenderson CountyHouston CountyJackson CountyLake CountyLewis CountyMcMinn CountyMcNairy CountyMacon CountyMaury CountyMontgomery CountyPerry CountyPickett CountyPutnam CountyAnderson CountyBedford CountyRhea CountyRobertson CountyRutherford CountySevier CountyStewart CountyTipton CountyVan Buren CountyWarren CountyBlount CountyCarter CountyDavidson CountyFranklin CountyHamblen CountyHaywood CountyHumphreys CountyLawrence CountyMadison CountyMoore CountyOverton CountyRoane CountySmith CountySumner CountyWeakley CountyWilliamson CountyChester CountyDecatur CountyDickson CountyGibson CountyGiles CountyCocke CountyHawkins CountyHenry CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyLauderdale CountyLincoln CountyMarion CountyMeigs CountyMonroe CountyObion CountySequatchie CountyShelby CountySullivan CountyUnicoi CountyWayne CountyTrousdale CountyCannon CountyAnderson – Pumphouse Road RX, 12 acresRx – Van Buren – Tennessee 111, 15 acres
WildfirePrescribed burn
Fire locations from the National Interagency Fire Center. Drought shares from the U.S. Drought Monitor, week of Sep 29.

Fires

Current fire incidents in Tennessee

Wildfires and prescribed burns reported to the national interagency fire database.

Retrieved Oct 1, 11:05 pm ET (10:05 pm CT)

IncidentTypeCountyAcresContainedDiscoveredRecord updated
Anderson – Pumphouse Road RXPrescribed fireAnderson12100%Sep 29, 202612:42 pm ET (11:42 am CT)
Rx – Van Buren – Tennessee 111Prescribed fireVan Buren15100%Sep 28, 2026Sep 28, 5:15 pm ET (4:15 pm CT)

Incidents stay on this list until the reporting agency closes them out, so small fires that are already out can still appear.

Drought

Tennessee drought, recent weeks

U.S. Drought Monitor statistics for the state.

Source updated Sep 29, 8:00 am ET (7:00 am CT) ยท Retrieved Oct 1, 8:33 pm ET (7:33 pm CT)

Map weekNoneD0 or worseD1 or worseD2 or worseD3 or worseD4
Sep 29, 202613.24%86.76%59.65%33.75%4.95%0%
Sep 22, 202614.94%85.06%48.07%9.83%1.01%0%
Sep 15, 202620.66%79.34%17.37%1.1%0%0%
Sep 8, 202639.19%60.81%10.76%0%0%0%
Sep 1, 202658.86%41.14%3.61%0%0%0%
Aug 25, 202681.04%18.96%0.91%0%0%0%
Aug 18, 202683.11%16.89%0.91%0%0%0%

Share of Tennessee’s area in each category. Each column includes the more severe categories to its right: D0 abnormally dry, D1 moderate, D2 severe, D3 extreme, D4 exceptional drought. Maps are released on Thursdays.

Before you burn

Burning in Tennessee

Burn permits

Tennessee law requires a free burn permit from the Division of Forestry for outdoor burning from October 15 through May 15. Permits are issued at burnsafetn.org.

Local burn bans

Cities and counties can set their own restrictions. Check with your local fire department before burning.

Report a wildfire

Call 911.

Tennessee wildfire and drought questions

Are there wildfires in Tennessee right now?

No Tennessee fire was listed as uncontained as of 11:05 pm ET on Oct 1. Prescribed burns and contained fires are on the wildfires page.

Where does the fire list come from?

The Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services current incident layer from the National Interagency Fire Center, filtered to fires that started in Tennessee.

What is a prescribed fire?

A planned burn set by land managers under set weather conditions, to reduce fuel or manage habitat.

Why does a fire show 100% contained?

Incidents stay listed until the reporting agency closes them, which can be days after they are out.

Where do the drought figures come from?

The U.S. Drought Monitor, produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA and NOAA. It is updated every Thursday.

Do I need a burn permit?

From October 15 to May 15, yes, for most outdoor burning. They are free from the Division of Forestry.

Also checked

Beyond wildfires and drought: more Tennessee conditions

Power outages3 utilities listing outagesWeather alertsNo active weather alertsRivers and floodingNo gauges at action stageLake levelsNorris Lake 1,009.36 ftSmokies roads2 road events listedNational park sites12 park alerts listedAir qualityHighest now: Chattanooga 60 (Moderate)Airport delaysNo FAA delays listedEarthquakes31 in the last 30 daysAttractions and caves28 places, no weather alertsTrail and park closures22 state park trail sections closedNashville bus alerts25 WeGo alerts in effectMajor eventsNone in the last 30 days

Where the data for wildfires and drought comes from

Every reading is credited to its source, with the time it was taken. Corrections and source questions go to the sources page.

Data sourcesUpdates log

Photo: Cumberland Trail at Eagle Bluff. Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0