Controlled burn causing heavy smoke in Wythe County

If you’re wondering about the smoke wafting into Wythe County on Thursday you’re probably not alone.

According to officials, the smoke is coming from a controlled burn in the Glade Mountain area of the Jefferson National Forest. Billowing clouds of smoke could be seen along parts of Interstate 81 on Thursday afternoon.

In a press release, the U.S. Forest Service indicated that the smoke would be “highly visible from Interstate 81, Marion, Groseclose and Rural Retreat.”

“The purpose of this 2750-acre prescribed fire is to return fire to the landscape, reduce forest fuel loading, improve wildlife habitat, encourage oak regeneration, and restore table mountain pine,” the release said.