© 2025 Public Radio East
Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
89.3 WTEB operating at reduced power

Fire danger remains elevated; out-of-control burn damages two ENC outbuildings

North Carolina Forest Service

Fire danger remains high in eastern North Carolina on Tuesday. 

Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City said the combination of persistent dry conditions, increasing winds, and multiple ongoing fires will keep the threat elevated.

North Carolina Forest Service officials say people should never burn on dry, windy days. They also the only thing that can legally be burned is natural vegetation, and burning trash is against the law.

Preliminary reports from the forest service show that 231 wildfires burned more than 1,300 acres on private and state-owned land on Saturday. The U.S. Forest Service reported that it was battling flames over the weekend in all four North Carolina national forests.

During this dry period, a controlled burn that spread destroyed two outbuildings in Jones County Monday afternoon. County Fire Marshal Aaron Kite says someone was burning a ditch just west of Trenton when the fire got away from him.

Firefighters from Trenton and Phillips Crossroads kept the fire from several nearby mobile homes, but Kite said several acres were burned. He’s asking everyone not to burn until the fire danger threat eases.

Also on Monday, high winds contributed to the spread of a large wildfire near Saluda – about 45 minutes south of Asheville. Polk County Fire Marshall Bobby Arledge says high winds contributed to the spread of the fire between Saluda and Tryon. Now that the weather’s changed, he’s hopeful about putting it out.

“ We've got the rain projected coming in, you know, Tuesday night, Wednesday," Arledge said, "We hope that really pretty much puts everything out that's not contained right now. ”

The winds over the weekend knocked down a powerline – which sparked the blaze that is now almost 500 acres. Arledge says that trees downed by Hurricane Helene are fueling the wildfire – and changing how crews are fighting it.

“There's just so much blow down trees and stuff and debris from all from Helene," he said. "So it's really, it's really caused a lot of problems for us.”

Crews are using a technique called “back burning.” That's essentially burning all the downed trees ahead of the fire to help firefighters get ahead of the flames and control them.

About 40 people voluntarily evacuated their homes in the area because of the fire.

Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.