HELMVILLE — The McElwain Fire 10 miles west of Helmville in Powell County remains at 176 aces and is 5% contained as of Tuesday.
The Powell County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation warnings to residents in the Ledger Road area.
The blaze — made up of a north fire and a south fire — is burning in grass and timber.
Fire managers report the lightning-sparked blaze is creeping and smoldering with isolated torching.
According to the Tuesday update, a control line has been established around the south fire and is nearly complete around the north fire.
There are 105 people assigned to the fire including a helicopter that will continue to drop water on the fire as needed.
Powell County remains in Stage 1 fire restrictions and people are asked to be extra careful when outdoors to limit human-caused sparks.
