Fire at Pilot Mountain State Park burns hundreds of acres

Updated 4:45 p.m.

Fire crews in Surry County are working to control a fire in Pilot Mountain State Park that has already burned hundreds of acres.

A North Carolina Forest Service spokesperson said this afternoon the fire now covers about 500 acres, up from 250 acres this morning.  

Jimmy Holt is a Guilford County ranger with the North Carolina Forest Service. He says crews have worked to create a barrier line around the fire that should keep it from spreading outside a containment area.

“The box we have created around the mountain will be about 900 acres. We are not going to allow it to get off the mountain. It's not going to leave park property or threaten homeowners or homes or other structures in the area,” says Holt.

Holt says dry conditions, heavy winds and the steep, rocky terrain have made it a difficult fire to battle. About 60 firefighters were on the mountain Monday. 

The fire was first reported Saturday evening in the area of the Three Bear Gully Trail. The cause hasn't been determined.

In a Facebook post Sunday, Pilot Mountain Mayor Evan Cockerham said the dry conditions have led to a ban on outdoor burning in Surry County and some surrounding counties.  

The North Carolina State Parks and Recreation Department has said the park likely will be closed all week. The park northwest of Winston-Salem is known for its iconic knob that rises about 1,500 feet above the surrounding terrain.

State officials are asking people to stay away from the area and to refrain from using drones because they may interfere with firefighting aircraft. They're asking the public to refrain from calling 9-1-1 unless they witness an actual incident involving both smoke and visible flames.

Forsyth County officials say the agency is getting reports of a strong smoke smell and haze in multiple areas in Forsyth County due to the wildfire.

Fall is a peak month for wildfires in North Carolina, but the central Piedmont has been hard hit this month, accounting for the vast majority of the burned acreage.