PENDER COUNTY — Some areas of an historical park in Pender County will be inaccessible Wednesday due to a prescribed fire taking place.
The Moores Creek National Battlefield’s controlled burn will treat roughly 11 acres and begin March 1 at 10 a.m. It could last around five hours and residual smoke and small spot fires may continue into the evening.
To ensure the safety of visitors and staff, a few affected areas of the park will be closed off including the Savannah Fire Management Unit and a portion of the Southeast Fire Management Unit. The Savannah Unit is between the visitor center and battlefield; the History Trail encircles it.
The burns are conducted regularly to help reduce the amount of “fuel loads” in the park. Untreated and left to pile up, it could become kindling for a major forest fire and endanger the park and neighboring land. The burn also helps lessen invasive and weedy trees, while transforming the landscape of the battlefield to how it historically appeared in 1776 at the time of the Moores Creek battle.
The park is located at 40 Patriots Hall Dr. in Currie and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the visitor center is open Tuesday through Saturday only. It’s free to visit.
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