DARE COUNTY, N.C. — A wildfire in northeastern North Carolina near the Outer Banks had burned 500 acres of land by Tuesday afternoon, and had started to spread to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Dare County.
Refuge firefighters and equipment are assisting N.C. Forest Service in fighting the "Jackson Road Wildfire."
The Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department said they began receiving calls about a strong smell of smoke as early at Tuesday morning.
"We have received multiple phone calls to the station regarding a strong smell of smoke. There is an active wildland fire at the Dare County Bombing Range that NC Forestry Service is actively fighting causing the smell of smoke on Roanoke Island and surrounding areas," the department said.
According to NC Forest Service Incident Commander John C. Cook, rain is expected to big a huge help in containing the fire.
"Things are looking better. We're getting good containment around it. Rain coming tonight it's going to be a big help," Cook states.
As of Tuesday, the wildfire on Jackson Road was about 40% contained, according to North Carolina Forest Service.
