HAMPSTEAD — Firefighting efforts on the wildfire at Holly Shelter Game Lands have managed to keep the blaze from spreading over the last week.
Personnel, now increased to 81 individuals, have held the Juniper Road Two Fire to 1,226 acres in size. An update from the N.C. Forest Service said the fire is now 65% contained — a 12% increase from yesterday’s report.
Rain earlier in the week helped to suppress the fire, but crews are continuing to monitor the weather as significant heat lingers in the area.
N.C. Forest Service personnel are trained in basic wildland firefighting; however many personnel receive training to specialize in other roles within incident management.
“We also fight fire with the help of countless cooperators and support personnel to get the job done,” the N.C. Forest Service stated.
Additional resources include Pender and Onslow counties emergency management and medical services, communications units, radio operators, tractor plow strike teams, fire behavior analysts, finance department, GIS specialist, Pender County rangers and both ground and aviation support.
A temporary flight restriction went into effect Friday and remains in place. No civilian aircraft, manned or unmanned, is allowed within 5 miles of the fire. The mandate will remain until aviation support is relieved from firefighting duties.
Holly Game Shelter is the largest game land owned and managed by the state of North Carolina since 1939. It’s more than 60,000 acres in size and remains open to the public, though officials warn drivers to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles.
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