Smoke will linger, but Pilot Mountain fire now ‘100% contained,’ Forest Service says

The fire that burned 1,050 acres on Pilot Mountain in Surry County is finally 100% contained, the N.C. Forest Service reported Saturday morning.

Smoke from the mountain will still be visible periodically, but firefighters plan to remove “excess hose and equipment” over the next few days, according to a Forest Service Facebook post.

With more dry conditions expected across the state, Forest Service officials on Saturday urged residents to take precautions against unintentionally causing a fire.

November saw 799 forest fires on state or private lands across North Carolina, according to the Forest Service, more than doubling the average of the 10 previous years, The News & Observer reported.

The N.C. Forest Service issued a burn ban over the past week and canceled all burn permits, citing dry and windy conditions that could cause flames to spread quickly.

The Pilot Mountain fire, known as the Grindstone fire, was traced to the remains of a campfire, Forest Service officials said in a previous news release.

“The cause of the Grindstone Fire was determined to be an escaped campfire in an undesignated area,” officials said in the release.

The fire was discovered on Saturday night, Nov. 27, according to the Pilot Knob Volunteer Fire Department. A campground at the park was evacuated when 50 firefighters were unable to control the blaze.

Most of the burned acreage is within Pilot Mountain State Park, officials said.

A lack of rainfall and windy conditions worked against firefighters, WGHP reported.

Residents can help prevent fires by, for instance, clearing pine needles and dead leaves from gutters and elsewhere on and around their homes, according to ResistWildFireNC.org, a Forest Service site. Trim shrubs and branches that are within 5 feet of your house.