The Juniper Road Two Fire received one inch of rainfall on the fire area Friday afternoon, Aug. 12. Rainfall accumulation will help aid in extinguishing the wildfire on Holly Shelter Game Land but may temporarily impede use of equipment on fire lines. The fire is 1,226 acres in size due to additional mapping. Periods of rain are expected throughout the remainder of the day.
The N.C. Forest Service is bringing in a Type 2 Incident Management Team to assume command of fire operations beginning Saturday, Aug. 13.
“The presence of the Incident Management Team will allow us to bring in support staff to assist the existing operations personnel with their firefighting efforts,” said Michael Cheek, incident commander for the Type 2 team.
Personnel will continue to closely monitor changing weather conditions through the weekend as firefighters continue their containment operations. There are no structures threatened at this time. The public is being urged to remain vigilant and continue monitoring local news resources for additional information. Hazardous road conditions due to smoke and low cloud cover may be a factor during the evening and overnight hours.
A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect for the Juniper Road Two Fire. The TFR restricts all civilian aircraft, manned and unmanned, within 5 miles of the fire. The flight restriction remains in place until aviation support is no longer needed.
Operational resources working the fire include a dozen tractor plow units with crewmen, one helicopter, two single engine air tankers, one scout and lead plane and 31 personnel from the N.C. Forest Service.