NC wildlife refuge fire grows, spreads ash, smoke
June 6, 2008
A wildfire in a national wildlife refuge in rural eastern North Carolina grew to more than 16 square miles Thursday, spreading smoke and ash that affected parts of neighboring Virginia.
But officials don’t know the exact size of the fire at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge because smoke is so dense that airline pilots are unable to see the fire’s boundaries.
No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, said Bonnie Strawser of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The fire started Sunday from lightning, officials previously said.
“There’s a loss of timber and those sorts of things,” she said.
Smoke and ash filled the air in the town of Manteo, about 45 miles east of the fire, as well as in Chesapeake, Va., some 75 miles north of the refuge, officials said.
The fire continued to burn in eastern North Carolina counties of Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington. Voluntary evacuation orders were issued Thursday for homes in parts of Tyrrell County and for a Hyde County subdivision because there was no way out if the fire reached it, officials said. Authorities asked 39 homeowners around Lake Phelps to leave on Wednesday.
The fire could last two months or more unless the area gets substantial rainfall, said Tony Spencer of Hyde County Emergency Management.
Recent Posts
- Fly fishing for carp in the urban waters of Denver
- Spring turkey hunting takes dedication — and a game plan
- Outdoors Notebook: Antelope and elk hunting also approved
- Missouri deer season dates, urban zones change this fall
- Outdoor Life: The final deer hunt
- Four Arrested in Killings of Eagles and Other Protected Birds
- It’s time for trout
- US Bans Commercial Fishing in Arctic as Ice Recedes
- State limits deer hunting
- Bills introduced to change deer hunting
- Turkey hunting: The lowdown on leftover permits
- Proposed Rule Clarifies Hunting Rule Changes at National Wildlife Refuges
- Advantages to Using a Fly Fishing Guide
- Try Striped Bass Fishing
- 15 Carp Fishing Bait Methods To Improve Your Hook Baits!
Categories
Archives
Blogroll
Fish and Wildlife Store
Meta
