The Juniper Road Two wildfire in Pender County continues to burn nearly two weeks after first igniting from a lightning strike.
Officials with the North Carolina Forest Service say the only thing that will put the fire out completely is rain. As of Monday, the fire is 43 percent contained. While the eastern portion of the more than 1,200 acre fires is well-coaled, the western portion is cause for concern for fire crews.
“Our major concern is on the western half of the fire,” said Shane Hardee, Deputy Incident Commander with the NC Forest Service. “Where the organics have all ignited and the fire is actually burning down into the ground. That’s causing us some control problems as far as keeping the fire within its current footprint.”
No buildings are in danger right now, but Hardee says if these dry conditions continue, the fire will continue to have the potential to spread.