By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

A fire deep in the Talladega National Forest Oakmulgee District, which grew to at least 400 acres on April 2, is now contained.

Smoke in the area southwest of Maplesville is expected for the next few days as National Forest employees continue to work to put the flames completely out.

Brian Smith of the Alabama Forestry Commission said the Commission also responded to the scene when the flames were closer to residential structures.

No structures were damaged in the flames, according to Smith.

Homes in the area are safe from the fire, which is not near any county roads.

“It was out in a very remote area of the forest,” Smith said.

National Forest employees and Alabama Forestry Commission worked to put out the fire and did not call in local fire departments since it was in the National Forest.

“It had been burning for a couple of days to get that large,” Smith said.

He said the blaze probably initially started on March 31 from a lightning strike.

“We don’t think it was intentionally set or anything based on where it was,” Smith said.

The Forest Service will do a survey to determine the exact acreage of pine trees that was impacted, but Smith said it was at least 400 acres and possibly up to 700 acres.