The cause of an island fire first reported around noon Sunday on Lake Lanier hasn’t been determined, officials said, but they plan to let it burn itself out. The island is visible from the American Legion and Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville.

It was not a controlled burn, according to Nick Baggett, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers natural resource manager for Lake Lanier.

He said it hasn’t been determined if the fire was set intentionally or accidentally. Baggett added that the fire was not a threat to the mainland.

“It it’s not going to be a threat to the mainland, we let it burn itself out,” Baggett said.

He said that process is helpful in cleaning out “ground fuel” such as leaf clutter and fallen limbs that can become more likely to cause larger fires over time than if they are burned from time to time.