Most trails at Natural Bridge State Resort Park reopened Friday morning after a fire led to their closure for a week-and-a-half. Over 100 acres were burned in the fire battled by 100 local and visiting firefighters. Among those happy about the reopening was Samantha Evans, who’s been a naturalist there for four years.
“Definitely an uplift for all the employees as well as the local county and community spirits. As you're aware, it was definitely a tragic toll. Not only for the park, but for the community because everyone loves to come here and hike and, you know, meet up with their family. So it was definitely great news when we got the okay to go ahead and reopen the trails.”
All but two trails reopened Friday. During the fire, Evans couldn’t carry out all her job tasks, which include leading tours on trails. The day before most were reopened, Evans and a few colleagues took a walk to see what the fire left behind. She said for the most part, they didn’t encounter major damage.
“Now there is some like scorching mostly of the underbrush areas. But we've had other people from the Kentucky nature preserves come in and assess the damage with us. And we think in the long run, it'll be beneficial as far as bringing in new plant life, new wildlife, and we think it's going to open up kind of the trail area.”
Investigators say they believe arson is the cause of the blaze that shut down most of Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Evans said she loves the job she’s held for four years and can’t imagine why anyone would set a fire in such a beautiful place.
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