Crews work to contain 20-acre wildfire north of Avon

A wildfire north of Avon that closed Highway 12 for more than four hours last night has burned approximately 20 acres in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

At noon today, the fire was about 50 percent contained, according to Bert Plante, fire management officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and incident commander.

The fire was detected about 11 p.m. last night on the soundside of the area, which is heavily covered with brush, shrubs, and small trees.  At one point, the fire threatened both Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative power poles and the historic Little Kinnakeet U.S. Life-Saving Station.

The fire started south of Little Kinnakeet Station. In gusty southwest winds, the blaze spread quickly to the north and the east toward the highway.

The fire’s northward march was stopped just a half mile from the station, according to seashore Superintendent David Hallac, who was on the scene today.

Staff from the National Park Service responded when the fire was reported, along with firefighters from the Avon, Buxton, Salvo, and Chicamacomico Banks volunteer fire departments, USFWS, and the North Carolina Forest Service. Other responders on the scene have been Dare County Emergency Medical Services, the Sheriff’s Office, N.C. Highway Patrol, and Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative.

“It takes a village to manage it,” said Hallac today, as he surveyed the scene with Deputy Superintendent Mark Dowdle. He said the local firefighters have been “amazing.”

Crews today are working in unseasonably hot and humid conditions in winds that are still brisk.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure they are hydrated,” Hallac said.

The fire, he said, didn’t appear to be actively spreading by noon today, though there were still “hotspots” with small blazes here and there among the blackened shrubs and trees.

Last night, however, was another story.

With the gusty winds, ground crews struggled to control the fire for several hours until two bulldozers arrived to create a break around the blaze. Two type-6 fire engines and a marsh master were on the scene, and Avon VFD was shuttling water.

The fire spread to Highway 12, and officials completely closed the highway from about 11 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.  For several hours, traffic was allowed through with a pilot vehicle.  The road was reopened to normal traffic at about 5:40 a.m.

A momentary interruption in power on the island at 12:10 a.m. occurred at a pole north of Avon and was probably related to the fire, Susan Flythe, general manager of CHEC said this afternoon.

No injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and will be investigated by the Park Service after the blaze is under control, Hallac said.

There were thunderstorms in the area earlier in the evening, and Hallac said the fire started near a soundside access road, which will be of interest to investigators.