SHALLOTTE — In the midst of a drought and a water conservation alert in Brunswick County, a fire spanning almost 300 acres broke out on Quarry Road in Shallotte on Friday evening. After three days of burning, the North Carolina Forest Service announced the cause boiled down to nature.
Firefighters from across Brunswick County and with help from departments from New Hanover County, City of Wilmington, Horry County, Pender County, Old Dock Cypress Creek and Nakina have been working to mitigate fire spread. As of July 13, according to the North Carolina Forest Service, the fires are 50% contained and covered 283 acres. The agency also determined the cause of the fire was a lightning strike.
“Forestry was in there, digging pathways, retaining it, keeping it from spreading anymore,” Brunswick County Board of Commissioners Chair Mike Forte said of the first responders and weekend events. “Firefighters stayed overnight. Any little flare-ups, they were knocking down all day.”
Crews have been reinforcing perimeter lines and completing mop-up operations — which means “extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines, felling snags and trenching logs to prevent rolling after an area has burned.”
READ MORE: Shallotte area wildfire 10% contained, commercial structures affected
Forte said the fires were mostly contained and the recent rain aided with clearing residual smoke and tamping down hot spots.
However, rumors sparked throughout the weekend speculating how the fire started. As a result, prior to the Forest Service’s findings, Forte reassured the fires did not start from a development burning debris or someone setting off fireworks.
Officials continue to document losses due to the fire, which mandated evacuations from nearby residents on Friday evening. While no homes have been affected, accessory structures and a commercial business called the Lazy Iguana Dump Trailer Service, located on Old Georgetown Road, were damaged. Forte added the smoke-clearing has allowed closed roads to reopen.
The county has also been under a mandatory water conservation alert since June. On July 10, it moved from a stage two — meaning more than 90% total water capacity has been reached for three days in a row — to a stage three. The third stage was announced as Brunswick County entered a D4, or “exceptional,” drought, which is the highest tier on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale. The third stage is also required when water capacity is at 90% for five days in a row.
Under the new alert, water usage for non-essential purposes — including outdoor irrigation, swimming pools, cleaning vehicles and the like — is strictly prohibited. Other requirements include not serving water in eating and drinking establishments unless by customer request, no running water while not in use (i.e. while brushing teeth), limited the use of clothes and dishwashers and the prohibition of using water-cooled air conditioners between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Offenses will result in the following penalties based on the number of infractions:
- First: $100 non-compliance fee
- Second: $400 non-compliance fee
- Third: $600 non-compliance fee and water disconnection
- All subsequent water emergency offenses during a stage two or higher water conservation alert level could result in fines up to $5,000 and water disconnection
Further, Forte and his colleague Pat Sykes pointed to ongoing concerns with state-issued burning permits to developers. The commissioners explained reaching out to the state the days before the fires started, requesting the state issue a burn ban; the county issued one on June 8. Commissioners had safety concerns related to wildfires because of the combined circumstances of a drought and water capacity issues. As has been previously reported by Port City Daily, only the state can issue burn permits; Brunswick County can only ban burning within 100 feet of any structure.
The county’s letter went unanswered.
“And then at 7 o’clock, the fire starts,” Sykes recalled.
Forte said the lack of response “has been the case for years.” He encouraged residents to continue conserving water; though the fires may be contained and continue to be monitored, the drought has yet to be remedied.
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