A new strategy could change the course of the Pilot Mountain fire.
According to officials, the fire started at the Grindstone Trail. The call reporting the fire came in around 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Planes were in the air at 10 a.m Monday., and more crews will be joining those already fighting the fire Monday from southern North Carolina counties, as well as crews coming in from east of Raleigh.
An official with the NC Forest Service says that an estimated 500 acres have burnt as of 11 a.m.
Monday afternoon, firefighters began helping the fire burn in a controlled manner, working to direct the fire down the mountain to the fire containment line. Officials say this will take a couple of days.
At the end of it, more than 900 acres will be burned in some capacity.
A time-lapse video shows the progression of the fire burning on Pilot Mountain.