STOKES COUNTY, N.C. — As of 1 p.m., the Sauratown Mountain fire is still growing but crews have a much better handle on structure protection, according to Jimmy Holt with the North Carolina Forest Service.
Crews feel good about the progress being made to protect the homes in the area as fire operations continue. A tractor-plow unit established a line around the fire.
The fire is still moving as winds are picking up and as we get warmer and dryer, fire becomes more active, Holt said.
About 150 firefighters are fighting the fire at this time.
There is not a burn ban in place at this moment, but they are advising people not to burn any fires until there is significant improvement.
Holt said the mountain is entering peak burning hours between 1 and 5 p.m. and it will remain closed.
As of 9 a.m. Nov. 20, the Sauratown Mountain fire burning in Stokes County is estimated to be at least 300-350 acres in size and is expected to grow.
Fire crews with the North Carolina Forest Service are on the ground working to contain a fire burning on top of Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County.
Crews shared the latest update on the fire and containment on Monday morning.
Jimmy Holt with the North Carolina Forest Service said the fire is not yet contained at this time and is still spreading. About 100 fire crews are trying to help fight the fire. Crews from Washington and Oregon will also be there to help fight the fire.
Holt said nearly 150 acres of land have been burned so far.
Sauratown Mountain Road remains closed while crews fight the fire. About 12 homes have been evacuated.
Holt said it's hard to put a timeline on when the fire will be contained but the biggest struggle is the winds and low humidity. The goal right now is containment and fire and civilian safety.
This is a state incident at this time and there is no federal aid at the moment.
Holt said rain could help but leaf fall is not 'our friend' when it comes to fighting a fire. The leaf fall could cause the fire to spread even more leaf fall.
The fire was originally reported on Saturday evening, around 7:15.
Holt said the fire had only burned 2-5 acres when crews arrived.
20 people actively engaged the fire overnight into Sunday morning.
Fire lines were created using large tractors to prevent spreading along the eastern side of the fire.
Hand lines on the ground were not working so firefighters focused their efforts on protecting local power lines and communications towers.
On Sunday morning, aviation help arrived to assist from the air. 3 planes, and 2 helicopters spent the day dropping water on and around the fire.
"Firefighters were not able to go direct today, but we did use the dozer line that went up a powerline east, and south of the fire to do burnout operations," Holt said. "It's in really rugged, rough, terrain. It's very difficult to access and difficult on the crews that are up there."
Holt says the very low humidity has helped the fire spread; however light winds have prevented the fire from growing even faster.
By Sunday evening, Holt said the fire had grown to 55-60 acres.
Priorities for ground crews include the eastern flank of the fire line, as they continue to protect power lines and communication towers.
Local fire crews are assisting in protecting about 12 homes located on Sauratown Mountain Road.
The road is currently closed except for local and fire traffic since it is the only route to the top of the mountain, where the fire is burning.
The only evacuation was at a youth camp with about 50 campers, about 2 miles away from the fire.
None of the nearby homes have been evacuated.
Out-of-state crews that were assigned to other parts of the state were moved to Stokes County, including crews that were assigned to Rockingham County earlier this week.
Intensity could pick up overnight with a shift in winds.
Holt says additional crews will be brought in on Monday.
Rainfall expected on Tuesday could help the Forest Service make significant progress on the fire.
"Short rain events where your humidity recoveries are strong, that gives us a chance to kind of go more aggressive, and attack the fire more directly," Holt said.
Even with rain in the forecast, the Forest Service continues to discourage burning.
A burn ban remains in effect in western North Carolina, however, a burn ban has not been issued for the Piedmont, including Stokes County.
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