Single Publication

FIRE INFORMATION UPDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023  

CONTACT:
Philip Jackson, public information officer
919-857-4828; philip.jackson@ncagr.gov

Last Resort Fire now 100% contained following successful water operations

CRESWELL – Consistent water penetration into the fire area over the last several days has allowed firefighting crews to make significant progress on the Last Resort Fire. Firefighting personnel reached full containment Thursday, April 13. The fire reached 5,280 acres in size since igniting Friday, March 24.

After moving a combined 438 million gallons of water from Phelps Lake and a freshwater canal along Seagoing Road, the N.C. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ceased water pumping operations from Phelps Lake. Crews will continue to pull water from the seagoing canal to maintain current water levels.

Significant resources will demobilize Friday, April 14, as the unified command (UC) structure will downsize to a Type 4 Incident Management Team. Remaining resources will continue patrolling fire lines and monitoring water levels for the next several weeks to ensure the fire stays within its current footprint.

There are still no injuries and no structures threatened at this time. The cause of the fire was determined to be a debris burn on private land that escaped containment.

A temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in effect for the Last Resort Fire. The TFR restricts all civilian aircraft, manned and unmanned, within 5 miles of the fire. The flight restriction remains in place until aviation support is no longer needed.

For information updates, visit https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ncpor-last-resort-fire. For the latest information about wildfires across the state, visit www.ncforestservice.gov/fire_control/sit_report.htm.

The Last Resort Fire is being managed with unified command
between the N.C. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.