A lighting strike on Sunday is believed to be the cause of a large wildfire burning in eastern North Carolina.
A wildfire burning more than 10,000 acres in Hyde and Washington counties in North Carolina has forced evacuations and created dangerous conditions in surrounding areas.
The fire, which may have been started by lightning on Sunday, jumped containment lines last night and spread to the northeast, according to officials. Smoke from the fire could be smelled around Hampton Roads.
Firefighters are working to make new containment lines and battling hot, dry, windy conditions.
Ed Christopher, district forester for the N.C. Division of Forest Resources, said Wednesday afternoon that what they are calling the Evans Road fire may be the largest wildfire the area has seen in more than 20 years. He feared the fire could double in size by the end of the day, and said firefighters are looking at weeks or even months, not days, to have it extinguished.
Officials have declared a state of emergency in Washington and Hyde counties, and Washington County has started a mandatory evacuation for people living in the Lake Phelps community. About 40 homes are threatened, according to a statement from the North Carolina Forest Service.
This is an area I’m very familiar with having hunted and visited the area a lot. A good friend of mine Mike Noles and his family run a guiding business, Conman’s, on the shores of Lake Phelps. I know they have safely evacuated the area but the fate of their home and business is unknown at this time. Keep them in your prayers as well as the other people living in the area and the fire fighters and emergency folks dealing with this fire. Hot dry conditions for the foreseeable future is not really what is needed as they try to battle this fire.
Updates when I have more news
Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose
