Forest Service firefighters responded on Monday morning to a wildfire, designated the 1039 Fire, burning on the Mark Twain National Forest in an area about 12 miles south of Cassville and about 6 miles northeast of Seligman.

Initial response estimated the fire at 50 acres, in rough terrain, and growing. Three Forest Service engines, two dozers, and the Mark Twain Veteran Crew worked suppress the wildfire. Firefighters also used a drone to assist in coordinating their response.

According to watchduty.org, the 1039 fire was first reported at 6 a.m. on Monday, encompassing 50 acres. By 11:37 a.m., it had grown to 250 acres, then to 350 at 12:31 p.m. and 500 at 1:47 p.m.

The blaze was 50% contained at 3:07 p.m., and it continued to grow to 1,200 acres by 6:22 p.m. before being fully contained at 9:33 p.m.

Residents and hunters in the area are asked to drive slowly, or stay off the roads, if possible, in the fire area for firefighter safety. Vehicles will be parked alongside, and crews will be working from these steep, hilly roads that often have very little room to pull off.

Hunters are also asked to stay out of the interior of the fire perimeter. After a fire moves through an area, it can leave underground hot spots and weakened dead trees. With the perimeter is secured, firefighters will conduct mop-up operations to identify and extinguish hot spots.

The fire is expected to produce smoke visible from the nearby towns and Roaring River State Park for at least a couple of days. No structures were threatened.