The lightning-caused HAOE LEAD Fire was first reported on April 12, 2025. The Haoe Lead Fire is burning within the Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness of the Cheoah Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest, approximately 7 miles west of Robbinsville, North Carolina, and 2 miles west of Lake Santeetlah. The fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy and is burning predominantly in hardwood leaf litter in steep and rugged terrain.. The rugged terrain, remote location and weather conditions (including high winds and low humidity) continue to provide challenges to fire personnel working. Air resources are being utilized as weather conditions allow. Public and firefighter safety is the highest priority in managing this fire.
Haoe Lead Fire 0.0000, -0.0000
WILDFIRE reported in North Carolina, US Forest Service National Forests in North Carolina
Last updated 3 hours, 42 mins agoReported 3 weeks, 3 days ago via NCNCCIncident # 2025-NCNCF-250207
Initial Location
11.2 miles SE of Vonore, TN
Dispatch Notes
N/A
Assigned Resources
N/A
Responsible Agency
US Forest Service — National Forests in North Carolina
Fuels
None specified
Incident Status
Contained on May 4, 2025 at 7:20 PM EDT
Nearby Weather Conditions
Incident Weather Concerns
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ContributeIncident Overview
Basic Information
Last Updated
Thu, Apr 24, 2025 12:17 PM PDT
Incident Type
Wildfire
Cause
Lightning
Fire Discovered
Sat, Apr 12, 2025 6:05 PM PDT
Location
Joyce Kilmer - Slickrock Wilderness Area 7 miles west of Robbinsville, NC
Incident Commander
Mitch Ketron IC Southern Area Incident Managment Gray Team
Coordinates
35.376388888889, -83.940277777778
Current Situation
Total Personnel
113
Size
3,103
Containment
57%
Estimated Containment Date
Sat, May 10, 2025
Fuels Involved
Hardwood Litter
Light Logging Slash
Narrative:
1 to 10 hour fuels are the primary carrier of the fire. Fire is mostly within an old fire scar from 2016 with numerous standing and down snags from that fire
Significant Events
Minimal
Smoldering
Creeping
Narrative:
Rain from previous day has minimized the fire behavior with mostly Smoldering Stump holes and
possibly some creeping in isolated sheltered areas under overhangs and under down logs.
Outlook
Planned Actions
Remaining division resources will be combined under one roving Operations group to cover all divisions. They will patrol and mop-up any remaining hotspots close to fire perimeters edge. Begin implementing suppression repair plan along roads, trails, dozer lines, handlines and around forest infrastructure.
Projected Incident Activity
12 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
24 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
48 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
72 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
Anticipated after 72 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
24 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
48 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
72 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
Anticipated after 72 hours: Minimal due to predicted continued rain event with heavy to moderate rain fall expected throughout the day and into the night. With a chance of pop up thunderstorms during the through out the day bringing erratic gusts and heavier rain amounts.
Current Weather
Weather Concerns
A wet pattern with daily chances for at least scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through Saturday. A backdoor cold front will drop into the area from the north overnight Saturday into Sunday morning with drier and cooler weather returning Sunday into early next week. Winds will be generally light with erratic gusts possible with any storms. max temp 65. min. Humidity 75%, with 50% chance of .76 inches of rainfall over the fire area predicted during the afternoon on Wednesday.
Public Information
Email: 2025.haoelead@firenet.gov
Phone: 828-367-0523
Hours: 0800 - 2000
Dispatch Center
North Carolina Interagency Coordination Center (NCNCC)
Asheville, NC