FIRE SUMMARY
Two small fires broke out on the Hyde County side of the Dare / Hyde County line and NW of U.S. Highway 264 in Englehard, North Carolina. It is said to be on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and North of the Hyde County Airport and Pamico Road.
The fire started around 1400 hours on April 18th.
The cause is unknown and under investigation at this time but the fire was spotted around 200 acres but quickly merged with another smaller fire around 25-plus acres. It quickly increased in acres from a smaller amount of 200 acres, exploding into 500 acres by nightfall.
The original larger fire is said to have started on private land South of the Dare Bombing Range and Alligator River National Forest.
COMMAND
The Incident is in an Unified Command System with North Carolina Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. They are listed as a NC Type 2 IMT.
The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Mateo Campus of College of the Albemarle formerly known as the Mateo Middle School.
RESOURCES
63 personnel are assigned to this incident.
CURRENT FIRE STATUS
As of today’s report, the fire was stated to be active and running. Current burned acres is 14,000 and growing due to dry weather and low humidity. Friday’s weather is expected to produce some rain but not enough to make an impact on the fire below.
In addition to dry weather, winds on Wednesday, April 20th from the NEastern side have proved to be challenging to fire crews on the ground.
More accurate is needed for fire mapping but due to dense smoke obscuring the flame front, it has been proven to be hindering their abilities. Currently, the fire is not directly threatening any businesses or homes. The fire has escaped its containment lines several times throughout the incident. A persistent problem is on the NE side of the fire.
The smoke is impacting some communities.
The fire is at a 15% containment status.
As of today’s press release, the fire has burned up to 14,000 acres crossing over private, State and Federal lands belonging to U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, the Nature conservancy and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
FUELS
Fire fuels are 6-feet of Chaparral.
FUTURE PLANS
Fire crews have been assigned with holding the fire South of Jackson and Maple Roads.
WEATHER FORECAST
Winds from the South will become more of a challenge for fire crews on Friday, in addition to continued dry weather. Sunny skies will shine over working on the fire ground.
CLOSURES
The Department of Transportation and the State Police have partially closed U.S. Highway 264. Call or go online to your local news or travel websites for up-to-date road conditions. Detours have been implemented to help guide you on the roadways.
REMINDERS
NOTE: Always remember to Move Over when there are lights and sirens [to the right] and move one lane over to your left if you see emergency vehicles, including Department of Transportation, Police, Fire, Tow trucks etc. on the shoulder of the highway.
You may see Emergency Fire vehicles and equipment working in the area. Please yield to them, as safely as you can.
#FireImages are Photo Credit/Courtesy of: Whipping Creek Fire IC Team.
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