Browns Fork, Kentucky
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1992. It stands in the Hazard census division. It lies in ZIP code area 41701. It stands on Elm Lick Fork. The Survey maps it on the Hazard South quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 16 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.
- 1891 USGS Hazard quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1916 USGS Cornettsville quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Hazard South quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Jenkins quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Jenkins quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Hazard South quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1977 USGS Hazard quadrangle1:100000
- 1992 USGS Hazard South quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
609 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 609 fires within 5 miles of Browns Fork between 1993 and 2020, burning about 22,440 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 131 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 216 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 131 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 55 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Smoking | 6 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 5 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Natural | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | STIDHAM LN |
| 6 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 56 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 5 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 4 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 30 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | SHERIFFS COURT |
| 29 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 63 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 28 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 26 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Browns Fork: 2 prospects. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Gap Clay | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Buffalo Divide Shale | Clay | Prospect |
Storms near this place
9 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Browns Fork in 9 storm reports between 2008 and 2025: 4 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood, 1 hail. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Browns Fork | $20,000 | Part of Browns Fork Road was washed out near Highway 451. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Browns Fork | $15,000 | County dispatch reported a tree bringing down power lines onto a residence in the 2600 block of Big Creek Road, near the communty of Whitaker, southwest of Hazard. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Browns Fork | $1,000 | Power lines were blown down along Browns Fork Road just southwest of Hazard. |
| September 2014 | Flood | Browns Fork | $1,000 | Dispatch reported that ditches were backed up onto old Hwy 80, forcing the closure of the road. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Browns Fork | $1,000 | Wolf Branch Rd was closed due to flooding. |
| March 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Browns Fork | $1,000 | One tree was blown down on Route 28 near Buckhorn. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Browns Fork | - | A social media reported showed quarter-sized hail along Browns Fork Road in Perry County. |
| March 2021 | Flash Flood | Browns Fork | - | Avawam Fire Department was dispatched in reference to a family trapped in their home by flood waters. |
| July 2011 | Flash Flood | Browns Fork | - | Jacks Branch Creek was out its banks for a time southwest of Hazard. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curly Fork (historical) | 0.8 miles | 16 | |
| Hazard | 2.3 miles | 16 | |
| Whitaker (historical) | 2.3 miles | 14 | |
| Combs | 2.4 miles | 16 | |
| Avawam | 2.4 miles | 14 | |
| Eversole (historical) | 2.7 miles | 16 | |
| Lothair | 2.8 miles | 16 | |
| Walkertown | 2.9 miles | 16 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 510960. 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.







