Evening Update on the Sunset Road Fire in Brunswick County

The primary objective for the N.C. Forest Service Incident Management Team is public and firefighter safety.  

PLEASE BE AWARE: Wildland fire engines and large equipment continue to be on roads in the fire area and traveling to and from assignments. Please use caution while traveling the NC Highway 87 corridor around Boiling Spring Lakes.

On Sunday, fire crews worked on strengthening containment lines. “We’re taking advantage of the rain that came in this morning to really work the dry areas around the fire. The dozer crews are steadily churning up the soil and reinforcing single fire lines to multiple lines in hopes of stopping or slowing the spread of the fire,” says Operations Section Chief Jonathan Ambrose. On Saturday morning the wildfire grew due to spotting over containment lines, causing the fire to spread. The cause of the Sunset Road Fire is currently under investigation. No homes have been destroyed as a result of this wildfire.

Acreage: 1,500 acres |  Containment: 10%

Percent containment represents sections of fire line that pose no escape risk without further action from firefighters.

Air Quality: A Code Orange air quality alert has been issued for Brunswick County through midnight Sunday morning. Information on current air quality data for North Carolina is available at https://www.airnow.gov/.    

Closures: Updates to closures and shelter information can be found on the Brunswick County website at https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/CivicAlerts.

Temporary Flight Restriction: A “TFR” is in place at an altitude from the surface up to and including 3,000 feet, daily (24 hours) until further notice. Complete information is available at https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_5_5540. Flying drones within a TFR designated area is unlawful. Flying a drone near or around a wildfire compromises the safety of pilots and interferes with firefighting efforts. The public is reminded to keep drones away from wildfires.