Sylva Fire Department

05/20/2026

It’s EMS week and we’re happy to recognize our C Shift Captain Eric Fanslau. Thank you for all that you do for the community!

05/07/2026

Lost phone found on North River Road. If this is yours please come by the fire station to retrieve it!

05/05/2026

05/05/2026

04/28/2026

The statewide burn ban remains in effect until further notice despite weekend rain in some areas. Persistent dry weather and increasing rainfall deficits from the last several months have left most of the state needing 10 inches of rain or more.

“While the rainfall we received over the weekend was a welcome sight, it offered little to no relief from widespread drought conditions while being nowhere near enough to reduce our wildfire risk,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Even the areas that received the heaviest amount of rain will quickly dry out from the sunshine and warmer temperatures. Until we get some additional rain and see more green-up in our forests, holding the burn ban in place statewide is the best option right now.”

While green-up and leaf-out are progressing at normal rate, low soil moisture, dry surface fuels and persistent low humidity are contributing to wildfire activity. For Western North Carolina, excessive forest fuels from Hurricane Helene are more available now than they were in 2025, low water levels in coastal areas have helped produce intense fire behavior where ground fire will likely be a long-term issue, and the Piedmont experienced 87 new wildfire starts over the weekend alone. Extended attack and mop-up efforts will be taxing and long-winded until drought conditions improve.

Read news release: https://bit.ly/497dNht

04/25/2026

Greening Up the Mountains is today!

Here are some things to know:

The festival DETOUR will begin at 9:30am. The detour will take you down backstreet to Allen Street, across Municipal Drive and out to Grindstaff Cove. Coming into town from Grindstaff Cove there is NO left turn onto Municipal Drive. You will proceed to the stoplight at Foragers restaurant and turn right where you can exit town or follow the detour around to Jackson Street and then out Evalina.

There is FREE PARKING at the Roses Parking lot and at the Jackson County Justice Center. Jackson County Transit will begin running shuttles from both parking lots at 9:30am, with services costing $1 per person.

There is a good chance of rain for the festival’s duration (we aren’t complaining!), so bring a jacket or umbrella.

We look forward to seeing everyone and we hope you enjoy Sylva’s Greening Up the Mountains! 😊

04/24/2026

Below is the festival map to help you with parking and navigation. There will be information booths at Main & Spring as well as at Bridge Park.

04/22/2026

Greening Up the Mountains is this Saturday, April 25th!

Note from the Town of Sylva, a reminder to prepare for the Greening Up the Mountains Festival ...

FRIDAY: Bridge Park parking lots, and the Lazy Hiker lot will be closed at 6 a.m. on Friday for booth marking. We will have rolling closures on Main Street, however, traffic will continue to flow. Main Street will be cleared overnight Friday, so please make sure to notify your residential tenants and customers who might leave their cars overnight. Cars will be towed overnight.

**Good spots for employees to park on Friday include the Ritz Lot, Keener Street, Methodist Church on Jackson, Mark Watson Park, etc.

SATURDAY: The standard detour will begin at 5:30 a.m., and full detour with Mill Street closure at 9:30 a.m.. Our goal is to get Main Street re-opened by 6 p.m. at the latest.

Saturday weather: Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. High near 75. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

04/21/2026

The National Weather Service released a Special Weather Statement at 2:03pm today for increased fire danger for tomorrow, April 22nd. This includes Jackson and surrounding counties.

Significant rainfall will be needed to bring our area out of this burn ban. Please continue to refrain from any outdoor burning and we appreciate those who have cooperated with us thus far.

We will post here as soon as the burn ban is lifted but we do not expect it to happen anytime soon. Thank you!