Bee Rock Creek Fire increases to 300 acres, 0% contained
The Bee Rock Creek Fire continues to burn in a rugged area of McDowell County amid forecasted "very high" fire danger on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, McDowell County Emergency Management reported no structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported.
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The fire is burning north of Armstrong Creek Road and south of Wild Acres Road. The N.C. Forest Service fire map estimates the Bee Rock Creek Fire is 300 acres and is 0% contained as of 4:43 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16. McDowell County Emergency Management confirmed those numbers.
The U.S. Forest Service reports that the fire is spreading on all sides and has crossed Pups Branch Creek by approximately 50 acres.
The fire prompted an evacuation order on April 15 for residences on Wild Acres Road, including the Wild Acres Retreat. County officials said the order remains in effect until further notice.
An interactive evacuation order map is available HERE.
Crews will continue working Wednesday to strengthen containment lines, protect structures and monitor fire behavior, according to county officials and the U.S. Forest Service.
Firefighters on the east side of the fire are directly fighting the fire, while crews on the west side are searching for areas to contain the fire.
U.S. Forest Service officials said crews have faced some unique challenges as they work to get this blaze under control. The challenges include warm and dry weather along with extra fuel from Hurricane Helene debris as well as the leaves that are now starting to bloom.
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“Anything that’s dead and downed obviously is dried out and easier to catch on fire,” said Dana Hodde, a public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service.
More than 150 firefighters are working to get this contained with some coming from as far away as Montana and Oregon to help with the response.
“They’re going to be watching for really hot spots and things potentially jumping over the line so that they can jump on that really quick and put it out before it grows,” Hodde said
Hodde mentioned this scenario of fire jumping over the line played out earlier Wednesday, but firefighters were prepared.
“Earlier there was a really hot spot that was coming out, we call it a finger where it was coming out, it branches out a little bit so they had people come and mediate that because it was burning really hot and if it had gotten to the edge then maybe it could have jumped over," said Hodde.
The fire is being managed under unified command by the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, Woodlawn Fire Department, and McDowell County Emergency Management.
The cause of this fire remains under investigation.
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