Weeks after fire, Ocoee Whitewater Center to reopen Friday without TVA warning system

OCOEE, Tenn. — UPDATE (July 27th):

The USDA announced that TVA has fully restored the strobe and siren warning system at the Ocoee Whitewater Center.

There's still no word on what officially caused the fire.

EARLIER:

Just over a month after a devastation fire, much of the Ocoee Whitewater Center will reopen to the public on Friday, according to a release from the Cherokee National Forest.

Recreation areas, including all trails and the lower lot, will be opened to the public on Friday, May 27th.

But the fenced in area around the visitor center will remain closed to the public and vehicles will not be permitted in parking areas when the gates are shut.

Right now, there's still no word on what exactly caused the April 26th fire.

That fire damaged TVA's strobe and siren warning system, and it no longer works.

TVA says it could take several weeks before that system is restored, according to the Cherokee National Forest.

But in the meantime, TVA has installed signs in the area alerting people of the potential for rapidly rising water.

In the absence of the warning system, visitors to the area should exercise extreme caution if entering the river channel. Large amounts of water could be discharged at any time and without any warning," the release says.

The Ocoee Whitewater Center opened to serve as a venue for the 1996 Olympics and was a key recreation site on the forest for about 300,000 visitors a year.

The public is asked to proceed with caution and to plan accordingly if heading out to visit the trails and the surrounding area of the visitor center," the release says.

Depend on us to keep you posted.