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. Motorists are urged to exercise caution and stay alert.
Acreage: 1,331 acres | Containment: 27%
On Wednesday, fire personnel were able to make another drone flight to detect areas of heat on the fire.
“The main focus now is seek-and-destroy missions. We see smoke on the landscape, we go chase it. We see heat on the drone’s infrared imagery, we go chase it. Rinse and repeat, until we feel confident this thing will not come back to life,” says Incident Commander Trainee Josh Bell.
Crews are using dozer operations to knock down piled berms that are holding heat. Engine crews are spraying copious amounts of water on hot spots to drown out the fire. Incident operations also requested additional helicopter water drops Wednesday, targeting the southwest section of the fire that continues to hold a good amount of heat in the ground. The helicopter was in operation for approximately two hours and made 28 water drops in this area. Fire containment has increased to 27% as of Thursday morning. The fire’s acreage remains at 1,331 acres. The cause of the wildfire is under investigation.
The Sunset Road Fire is burning in Boiling Spring Lakes in Brunswick County. The fire began Friday, May 2. No homes have been destroyed. Percent containment represents sections of fire line that pose no escape risk without further action from firefighters.
Weather and Fire Behavior: A southerly flow developing tonight will bring increased relative humidity to the area, which will make the chance of showers and thunderstorms more favorable. Forecast winds around 5-7mph with gusts of 15mph are likely. A slight chance of accumulating rainfall is possible late Thursday evening. The fire continues to creep and smolder within the organic soils of the fire footprint. Lingering smoke from hot spots interior to fire lines remains visible from area roads.
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.