Pulp Road Fire grows to 16,000 acres (Bonus episode)

The N. C. Forest Service Red Incident Management Team has assumed command of the Pulp Road Fire as of this morning. Today firefighters will be transitioning from active firing operations within the Green Swamp Nature Preserve to mopping up the fire’s edge.

Weather: A super fog event occurred overnight causing extremely low visibilities during the morning commute. A weak front will linger in the region through Monday with isolated showers and thunderstorms possible. A sea breeze from the southeast will increase winds in the afternoon and create gusts of 10-15 miles per hour. Rainfall chances increase Tuesday and Wednesday. Lingering smoke may have potential to mix with fog.

Acreage: 16,000 acres; Containment: 0%; Personnel and Equipment: 81 total personnel

Yesterday the firefighters continued firing operations and brought the fire to the edge of Highway 211 as planned. Due to the firing operations, the fire size increased from 11,500 to 16,000 acres. Fire acreage may fluctuate going forward due to better measurement data coming in from the field. “Now that we’ve completed firing operations, our main objective is to keep the fire in the block of the Green Swamp Nature Preserve. If we can accomplish that, then we will be able to put this wildfire to rest,” notes NCFS Red Team Incident Commander Greg Smith.

Air quality: A Code Red air quality alert has been issued for Brunswick County. A Code Orange air quality alert has been issued for New Hanover County. Information on current air quality data for North Carolina is available at https://www.airnow.gov/.

Closures: NC Highway 211 is closed between Little Macedonia and Camp Branch roads. Updates to road closures surrounding the fire is at https://drivenc.gov/. Due to the wildfire, the Green Swamp Nature Preserve remains closed.

Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A “TFR” is in place at an altitude from the surface up to and including 1,500 feet, daily (24 hours) until further notice. Complete information is available at https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. Flying drones within a TFR area is unlawful. Flying a drone near or around a wildfire compromises the safety of pilots and interferes with firefighting efforts.

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