The fire has burned through at least 30 acres but is fully contained, said Kim Bittle, ranger for the Shoal Creek Dis-trict, Friday afternoon. The northeast portion of Pinhoti trail is closed temporarily because of fire and smoke.
The fire was first reported at 4 p.m. Wednesday and had burned through 26 acres by Thursday night.
The area affected begins at the Pinky Burns Trailhead, so the U.S. Forest Service is asking motorists to limit use of Forest Service Road 500 off of Cleburne County Road 55.
Bittle said arson is suspected, given that the lack of lightning recently helped rule out natural causes.
A cleared line has been dug at the fire's perimeter to prevent spread, she said.
Bittle said the recent heat wave spell affect the progress the 15-20 firefighters can make in battling the flames. The national forest service has called on additional crews to help contain the fire over the weekend.
“We still have a quite a bit of work to do,” Bittle said.
Forest visitors planning to hike the trail located in the Dugger Mountain Wilderness area should call the forest dis-trict office 256-463-2272.
Persons living or traveling near Dugger Mountain Wilderness Area wil see smoke and an increase in personnel and equipment near roads.
