NORTH FORSTYH - Forsyth County firefighters have been instructed not to respond to an island fire on the Forsyth County portion of Lake Lanier, per the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The fire, which is burning on an unoccupied island closest to Merritt Drive in Cumming, poses no threat to residents, according to fire Division Chief Jason Shivers, a spokesman for the fire department.

Because the island is unoccupied, the Corps is letting the fire burn off brush and other undergrowth so another fire will not pop up, Shivers said.

The fire "probably looks bigger than it is" from shore, he added.

The cause of the blaze is unknown.