MACON COUNTY, NC (WSPA) – A North Carolina fire captain was injured in a wildfire Saturday afternoon in Macon County.
Around 1 p.m., Fire Captain Terry Rholetter was injured while battling a wildfire in the Mountainside Road and Big Ridge Road area of Highway 441 North, Macon County Emergency Management said.
According to Emergency Management, Captain Rholetter is a fire captain with the Macon County Fire Department and is also the Otto Volunteer Fire Chief. Captain Rholetter was setting up a line of fire control when his position was engulfed in flames.
He was transported to a burn treatment center in Augusta, Georgia, to treat serious injuries, officials said. An injury review has been launched to document the incident and provide advice to hopefully prevent it from happening again.
According to officials, Mountain Valley Fire and Rescue and the North Carolina Forest Service along with Macon County Fire Departments were first dispatched to the incident with reports of structures in danger. Gusty winds and severe fire conditions prompted additional responses from Macon County’s Franklin, Cullasaja Gorge and Cowee Fire Departments, as well as Jackson County’s Savannah Fire Department.
