Fire has burned 800 acres in Croatan

Rainfall Friday and Saturday helped firefighters contain 25 percent of a fire burning in the Croatan National Forest that has now consumed 800 acres.

"We got rain across the whole fire yesterday and that slowed it down some," said David Nelson, U.S. Forest Service incident commander.

Nelson said progress is still ongoing and firefighters are working around the clock to suppress the fire. Progress, he said, will largely depend on Mother Nature.

As the weather dries out in the area, the fire could pick back up, causing more acres to burn and heavy smoke, which could be a hazard for drivers. If rains continue to fall, however, the fire should slow down.

"We have to work with the weather," said Nelson.

James Wingenroth, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport, said the area around the fire received about a quarter of an inch of rainfall Saturday. He expects more showers and thunderstorms to move across the area during the next couple of days.

The rain Friday dampened firefighters’ efforts as they worked to create a "burn out" for containment. Used as a suppression tactic, firefighters burn an area ahead of the fire to remove any fuel, which hinders it from spreading.

"It’s the safest way for the public and for firefighters," said Nelson.

Nelson credits previous controlled burns in the Croatan forest as a factor in helping crews gain the 25 percent containment.

"It’s actually burning in an area that was part of a controlled burn three years ago. That factor alone has slowed the fire down a bit. It lowers the amount of hazardous fields, which helps the fire drop in intensity. That’s exactly what (controlled burns) are intended to do," said Nelson.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Nelson said, but is believed to be the result of lightning striking a tree about 3 p.m. Thursday. Portions of Millis Road were closed Friday. No roads were closed Saturday and no houses or structures are threatened, Nelson said.

Combating the fire has been a collaborative effort between the N.C. and U.S. Forest services, and Cherry Point Forestry Division and firefighters with departments in Newport, Broad and Gales Creek and the Carteret County Sheriff’s Department, Nelson said.