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Last week, a crashed motorcycle caught fire and ignited leaves and trees along U.S. 129 near Deals Gap, North Carolina and the Tennessee border — the infamous “Tail of the Dragon” that's beloved by motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts for its challenging twists and turns.
The blaze grew into a large wildfire before emergency responders gained control and halted the spread after several days of containment efforts. The motorcyclist escaped the crash and fire without injury.
Crashes are not uncommon along the Tail of the Dragon’s 318 curves, and with any crash comes the potential for fire. The unnamed motorcyclist, who was apparently borrowing a Yamaha YZF-R6, was alone at the time of the crash and could not lift the bike or extinguish the flames that started after hitting the ground. As far as I can tell, this car YouTuber happened to see the burning bike shortly after the crash. (Relevant clip is a few seconds into the video.)
“The motorcycle lost control and collided into the roadside. Upon collision, the motorcycle was engulfed in flames which ignited the wildfire,” according to Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials.
The motorcycle was apparently owned by a local moto influencer who posted an update about the crash on November 8. She says the bike’s previous owner was taking it out for a spin when “he lost the front and landed in the brush. Within seconds it was lit.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation became aware of the fire around 12:18 p.m. on Sunday, November 6. Some roads in the area remained closed until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, although the fire continued burning in other areas. The Tennessee Division of Forestry issued a “high danger” fire warning for the surrounding forests. In the last week, wildfires across the state kept foresters on their toes until rain left over from Hurricane Nicole dampened the area. Here is a view of the aftermath.
“Low relative humidity coupled with dry, fresh leaf fall set up vulnerable fire ignition,” the Division of Forestry said. “Fortunately, moist conditions on the ground below the freshly fallen leaves assisted firefighters with rapid containment on most fires.” The Tail of the Dragon fire covered some 177 acres, according to the Department of Agriculture. There were no injuries and no damages to the iconic road.
If other riders had been able to assist the crashed rider, there might have been one less forest fire in Tennessee last week. When riding in areas prone to forest fires, consider packing a compact fire extinguisher, and remember that you can always call 911 in case of a fire.
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