HOFFMAN — Crews are currently working to contain a wildfire just a few miles north of a controlled burn.
County Ranger Brandon Van Buren said the N.C. Forest Service was on the way to assist the Hoffman Fire Department with the fire.
According to Van Buren, someone was burning leaves and the fire “got away.”
“That’s a lot of what we get,” the ranger said, explaining that many wildfires start as someone burning trash or debris and leaving the area — and the fire spreads.
“A gust of wind will send an ember across the containment line and it’s off to the races.”
The caller reported that the fire was about the size of a football field, Van Buren said around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday. However, he added that at the time, it was hard to tell.
With the ground being wet from recent rains, the Forest Service may not have to dig containment lines.
Agency records show there were four wildfires that burned 1.1 acres in District 3 on Feb. 13. Van Buren confirmed all of them were in Richmond County, however the Forest Service was not called out to assist.
There were six wildfires total statewide, all on private land. Records show three warning tickets were issued.
The N.C. Public Wildfire Viewer shows there were two fires reported on Feb. 11: a tenth of an acre on Eason Drive and a half-acre on Coles Store Road, east of Hamlet. There was also a recent two-acre fire on Gary Street in Hoffman.
The skies were already smoky Tuesday from a controlled burn of around 200 acres off of Beaverdam Church Road in Marston.
