Abel, Alabama
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1900 and the latest in 2001. It stands in the Heflin census division. It lies in ZIP code area 36258. It stands on Nixon Branch. The Survey maps it on the Hollis Crossroads quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1900 USGS Anniston quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1953 USGS Atlanta quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Atlanta quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Atlanta quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Hollis Crossroads quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1975 USGS Hollis Crossroads quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS Anniston quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 2001 USGS Hollis Crossroads quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
134 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 134 fires within 5 miles of Abel between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,773 acres in total. 9 started naturally. 52 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 52 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 33 |
| Debris and open burning | 23 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 10 |
| Natural | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NER-20140930-001 |
| 23 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | National Forests in Alabama | FIRE BALL |
| 14 September 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20170914-1 |
| 13 September 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190913-13 |
| 4 August 2002 | Natural | 47 acres | National Forests in Alabama | SUNDAY |
| 31 August 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160831-5 |
| 27 August 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 17 acres | National Forests in Alabama | 585 |
| 25 August 2002 | Natural | under an acre | National Forests in Alabama | HORSE BLOCK |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 34 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 34 workings within 5 miles of Abel: 21 past producers, 6 occurrences, 3 unknowns, 2 prospects. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Iron, Mica, Quartz. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C H Mitchell Mine | Arsenic, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Chulafinnee Copper Anomoly | Copper | Occurrence | 1964 | |
| Chulafinnee Placer Mines | Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Placer | |
| King Mine | Gold, Quartz | Past Producer | Vein | |
| Oxford Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Mine | Zinc, Arsenic, Copper, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Delta Mica Co. Mine | Mica | Past Producer | ||
| Delta Mica Co. Prospect | Mica | Occurrence | ||
| Delta Mine | Mica | Past Producer | ||
| J J Smith No. 2 Prospect | Mica | Prospect |
Storms near this place
7 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Abel in 7 storm reports between 2003 and 2025: 4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Abel | $1,000 | A tree was blown down along Cheaha Road. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Abel | - | A couple trees were downed on Highway 281 near Highway 49. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Abel | - | Nickel-size hail was estimated from a social media picture near Choccolocco. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Abel | - | Several trees uprooted along Highway 431. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Abel | - | Quarter size hail was observed on Mt. Cheaha. |
| March 2018 | Hail | Abel | - | no account filed |
| March 2018 | Hail | Abel | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Points | 3.0 miles | 17 | |
| Chulafinnee | 3.4 miles | 17 | |
| Hollis Crossroads | 4.3 miles | 17 | |
| Belltown | 6.8 miles | 17 | |
| Cleburne | 8.1 miles | 19 | |
| Heflin | 9.6 miles | 17 | |
| Micaville | 9.8 miles | 13 | |
| Gold Hill | 10.1 miles | 17 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 159044. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







