STOKES COUNTY, N.C. — The fire is still at 41% containment but may see improvement later Wednesday, officials said.
On the underside of Division C, there is still some uncontained fire. Crews are creating fire lines there Wednesday. They have a good control line, so if any brush begins to flare up again, they'll be able to keep it from spreading.
Officials said they should be able to start sending crews home within the next 24-48 hours, as long as conditions improve.
There are still active flames on the mountain, and a drone is being used to find areas that need more work.
Governor Roy Cooper was there Wednesday to address the state of emergency for the Sauratown community.
There has been no damage to any of the towers or power lines up in the mountain.
Governor Cooper spoke with fire crews and learned how they were containing the fire. He noted the preparation, training, and resources they needed to make things work and, more importantly, how they are working as a team.
"People understand that this is a mission that we've got to attack together and if we are not all working toward the goal that it doesn't work as well but you don't see that here you see everyone coming together to get the job done," Cooper said.
He wanted to also emphasize that people in the surrounding area should continue to be cautious and pay attention to burning ordinances.
In Wednesday morning's presser, Holt says the Sauratown Mountain is looking 'dramatically' different.
About 2 inches of rain arrived in Stokes County and it couldn't have come at a better time.
"The fire had us on our heels until the rain arrived," Holt added.
He said about 90-100 firefighters were up on the mountain Wednesday morning trying to continue their efforts to fight the fire. Twenty-four miles per hour wind gusts are forecasted as well.
Holt said that crews were successfully able to die some of the fire down, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the western and northern ends.
Firefighters reported open flames and stump holes 4-5 feet down Tuesday. Approximately 750 acres of fire which is bringing a lot of heat. They are still looking at snags in the area and improving the fire lines dozer that wasn't able to be completed.
Homeowners were able to return home after 41% of the fire had been contained. Holt believes there will be some improvement.
Holt said the only challenges right now are the wet and slippery conditions because of the rain. Visibility was poor Tuesday night but as the weather dries out, more smoke could pick up.
The concerns right now are the heat around the perimeter of the fire is 100+ degrees and leaf fall is still an issue. No injuries have been reported.
There will be intricate mapping in the coming weeks, so the fire does not return.
Law enforcement is engaged, and the investigation is ongoing. Stay with us for more updates.
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