CRESWELL, N.C. — Personnel working the Last Resort Fire in Tyrrell County have increased water flow into the fire area. The fire is now 68% contained and water will continue to soak the area over the next several days.
More than 120 million gallons of water has been pumped from Phelps Lake and a freshwater canal along Seagoing Road. Water handling operations are crucial for pumping water and moving it to the fire area to minimize loss of organic soil, reduce smoke impacts and prevent reburn.
Despite significant wind gusts across the fire area this past weekend, firefighting personnel have held the fire to 5,290 acres in size.
Operational resources working the fire include 78 personnel from the N.C. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
There are still no injuries and no structures threatened at this time. The cause of the fire was determined to be a debris burn on private land that escaped containment.
A temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in effect for the Last Resort Fire. The TFR restricts all civilian aircraft, manned and unmanned, within 5 miles of the fire. The flight restriction remains in place until aviation support is no longer needed.
A community meeting will be held at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Sunday, April 2, at 3 p.m. Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the N.C. Forest Service will address the plan for moving water to the fire area and answer questions.
For information updates, visit https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ncpor-last-resort-fire.
