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PLEASE BE AWARE: Wildland fire engines and equipment continue to be on roads in the fire area and on US Hwy 70 between Havelock and New Bern. Please use caution when driving near them.

Weather: A cold front will be approaching before midday tomorrow with southwesterly winds veering northerly, then northeasterly with cooler temperatures. Rainfall potential appears meager tonight, followed by isolated showers and perhaps a thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon. Minimum humidity tomorrow will be around 60%, then around 45% on Monday with NE winds gusting up to 15 mph at times.

Acreage: 32,400 acres; Containment: 90%; Personnel and Equipment: 185 total personnel; 1 helicopter, 10 engines, 2 water tenders, 2 Type-2 and 5 Type-3 tractor plow units, 2 drones, 2 track-mounted engines and 1 ambulance.

Yesterday: Crews monitored fire activity to identify hot spots and areas of concern and mopped up any close to the fireline. Flooding operations for areas of ground fire, and additional piping and pumping continued.

Today: Aviation and ground resources will continue to monitor fire activity to identify hot spots and areas of concern. Drones equipped with Infrared cameras are helping crews find heat sources. Mop up operations with engines, crews, and heavy equipment continue on the north end and southwest portion of the fire.  Work on contingency lines in the northwest portion of the fire are complete and will move to the northern portion tomorrow. Flooding operations for areas of ground fire in the southeastern portion of the fire continue and pumps will continue to flood areas in the south and southeast portion. Preparations for additional piping and placement of pumps to flood areas in the southwest portion of the fire will continue.

Highlighting Fire Effects on the Ecosystem:  New plant life began sprouting in the fire area after rain events in the first week after the fire made its active runs on April 22 and 23.

• Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A “TFR” is in place effective May 9, 2023 from 6 AM to 2 PM local time, and altitude from the surface up to and including 1000 feet, daily until further notice, to allow for safe operations of the drone equipped to detect heat sources. Complete information is at https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_3_2893.html
• Closures: Forest Service Road 203 (Holston Creek Road) and Black Swamp Road remain closed due to fire equipment and operations. Updates to road closures surrounding the fire are at https://drivenc.gov/.  
• Air quality: Information on current air quality data for North Carolina is at https://www.airnow.gov/.  
• Firewise: Information on preparing your home and property to reduce the risk from fire can be found at https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-USA
• Donations: Those interested in donating to firefighters, please consider assisting your local fire departments and /or the Wildland Firefighter Foundation https://wffoundation.org