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Forest Service: Grassy Knob fire area closure terminated

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The order closing the Grassy Knob Fire area on the Shawnee National Forest to the public was terminated today by Forest Supervisor Allen Nicholas, according to a release from the U.S. Forest Service. The fire was 100 percent contained 6 p.m. Nov. 10 and currently remains at 409 acres. The fire will continue to be patrolled and monitored until the next rain event. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The 409-acre Grassy Knob Fire is the largest documented fire ever on the Shawnee National Forest. Since January 2010, there have been 53 fires, now totaling 1094 acres, on Shawnee National Forest lands or national forest protected lands. National forest protected lands are those lands adjacent to national forest land that would endanger the national forest should fire occur on the adjacent lands. Downed trees resulting from the wind storm, which occurred on May 8, 2009, and dry conditions created a heavy fuel load that fed the Grassy Knob Fire.

Smokey Bear reminds us that conditions are still very dry and to please be very careful with fire.