The U.S. Forest Service and Pender County Emergency Management officials say the large landfill debris fire in Hampstead is likely to burn for months, potentially up to a year or longer. The fire broke out on February 15, when firefighters were called to the scene and the county was made aware of the unusual situation.
“Escapement of this fire would truly pose a threat to the communities and people that live in the Hampstead area, along Hwy 17 and Hwy 210,” said Pender County Fire Marshal Tommy Batson.
The vegetative landfill is roughly 3-4 acres and 30-40 feet high. It’s on private property, but the Forest Service has declared it a wildfire and is stepping in to oversee that it is consistently supervised.
“There is nothing from here to Hampstead except woodlands and homes mixed in the middle, so you’re talking, if this fire were to get out and run in one burning period -— one day — and it burning to Hampstead, and could possibly burn every home in its path before we could get equipment out to control it,” said Pender Co. U.S. Forest Service Ranger Hagan Blake.