WINTER 2017
Café Spanglish
Wildfires Didn’t Put a Damper on
By Allison Flynn
Community’s Spirit
T
he Hickory Nut
Gorge area is used to
welcoming visitors from
places far and wide. But
no visitors may have
been more welcome to the area
recently than those who came to
battle a wildfire that lasted for
nearly a month.
The Party Rock Area wildfire began
on Nov. 5, and the fire’s cause is
still under investigation. During the
25 days the fire raged, more than
7,000 acres were charred.
The fire came at a time when the
Gorge is winding down the tourist
season, at the peak of fall color.
The view of the Hickory Nut Gorge wasn’t affected by the Party Rock Area
wildfire that raged for nearly a month. Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State
Park was closed briefly during the fire, but is again open for winter hikes and
activities.
“I think the word substantial is
a correct word to use, without
putting a dollar amount,” said
Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber Executive Director
Tommy Hartzog, speaking of the financial impact
the fire had on tourism. “When you look at the
number of lost room nights …. unfortunately this
hit about the peak of leaf season.”
The fire was a “double whammy” for many
business owners, Hartzog continued, because a
lot of people were unable to work either because
businesses were closed or roads to get into the
area were closed during evacuation periods.
“It hurt a lot of families because of the
interrupted cash flows at one of the peak times
of the year,” he said. “We’re a visitor based
economy, and our visitors weren’t able to get
here.”
Despite the loss of business, the community
continued to work together to provide shelter
and other much-needed items for firefighters and
forestry service workers from across the area and
4
the United States.
“Our community has an enormous volunteer
spirit, and a real spirit of community, which
lends itself to people helping each other,” he
said. “Many of the businesses and homes in the
Gorge opened up their structures to firefighters
to sleep on cots so they wouldn’t have to sleep
in tents.” The last firefighters left the area in
early December, and everything is almost back
to normal. The fires didn’t affect many of the
landscape visitors and residents know and love.
“The view from Chimney Rock is completely
unaffected,” said Amber White, marketing
assistant for Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock
State Park. “And we are very grateful to the
firefighters and forestry service from the whole
nation who helped out.”
The park did close for a week after the initial
evacuation of people, but fortunately when the