750 acres burned: Rain 'dramatically' changes NC wildfire, now 41% contained

A wildfire has burned 750 acres in Stokes County, but recent rainfall has changed the game, helping containment jump to 41%.

“The whole situation has changed dramatically in the last 24 hours,” said Jimmy Holt, a Guilford County park ranger with the NC Forestry Service. “This is really a blessing.”

Holt said about an inch of rain fell overnight with more expected throughout the day, giving firefighters who have been working since Saturday night a welcome break.

“You know, it’s extremely important,” Holt said. “Extremely important to give those crews a much-needed pause and much-needed break. You know, to be able to R and R … to rest up, to fuel up, to water up [and] to maintain their equipment as well.”

While the ran is a welcome sight, it brings with it a new set of hazards.

“The potential for slips, trips and falls are there,” Holt explained. “The wind element has picked up throughout the night along with that rain. So they were reporting additional trees coming down as well.”

Even though the change in weather helps, there’s still work to be done when this rain event is over.

“Usually on the back side of these systems and the fronts, the wind shifts and comes out of the north,” Holt said. “Usually it’s a dry wind and then the fire will sort of begin to rear its head again in places, [creating] hot spots.”

No injuries have been reported. There’s still no word on what caused the fire.