CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Heavy rains Tuesday helped decrease the fire danger in North Carolina, prompting forestry officials to rescind the restriction on open burning, according to Greg Hicks, the assistant commissioner of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Open burns, including leaf burning and campfires, were banned in 14 counties in western North Carolina on Nov. 5. That ban expanded to 16 additional counties on Nov. 8. It will expire at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey were affected by the ban on open burning.
“Even though the burning ban has been lifted for Catawba County, open burning regulations within the city limits remain in place," Hickory Fire Marshal Stephen Craig said. "No open burning of leaves or limbs is allowed due to municipal pick up. Warming fires and recreational fires are now permitted.”
Forest Service officials said Tuesday's rain helped crews contain a series of wildfires across North Carolina, but the reprieve for crews will likely only last through the Thanksgiving weekend.
“Unless we get some more continuous rain, we will probably be back to being active again in a few days,” Shardul Raval, director of fire and aviation for the U.S. Forest Service's southern region told the Associated Press.
A fire in the Sauratown Mountains in Stokes County has been burning since Saturday. The N.C. Forest Service said Wednesday that more than 1.5 inches of rain Tuesday stopped the forward progression of the fire, providing ground crews the opportunity to apply suppression tactics. As of Tuesday evening, the fire was at 750 acres and 41% containment. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to forestry officials.
The Black Bear Fire in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest burned more than 1,800 acres near the Tennessee state line, according to the U.S. Forest Service. In a post on Facebook, officials reported recent rainfall kept the fire from growing. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire was at 79% containment.
No additional fire growth is also expected at the Collett Ridge Fire, which has burned over 5,500 acres in Cherokee and Clay counties. Forestry officials said 1.25 inches of rain dampened the primary fuel sources for the fire. The fire is at 100% containment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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