From the N.C. Forest Service:
Party Rock Fire Estimated at 300 Acres
North Carolina Forest Service fire-fighters worked all night to reinforce containment lines and conduct burnout operations on the Party Rock Fire in Lake Lure, N.C. This overnight work has increased the footprint of the fire to 300 acres with 30 percent containment. There is dense ground smoke in the area due to an atmospheric inversion this morning. As the inversion lifts today, fire aviation personnel will have a better chance to view the fire from above. It is anticipated that fire behavior will abruptly increase when the inversion lifts; therefore, it is important for all are residents to maintain situational awareness of the fire as the day progresses. Due to the increased complexity of the fire, a N.C. Forest Service Incident Management Team has been ordered. The IMT will transition on Wednesday and take over the incident on Thursday.
Presently, there are no evacuations in effect. A pre-evacuation notification was provided yesterday to some homeowners in the path of the fire, and a State of Emergency Declaration has been signed by the Mayor of Lake Lure. Area residents, business owners and visitors can stay updated on possible evacuation orders by visiting the town of Town of Lake Lure’s website and Facebook page.
If you are interested in donating bottled water, Gatorade or pre-packaged food, please leave them in the breezeway in front of the Lake Lure Police Station and Town Hall. Please do not come by the Incident Command Post, as this area is very busy with incident activity.
The 80 firefighting personnel assigned to the fire represent multiple cooperating agencies including: NC State Parks, NC Forest Service, Lake Lure Fire Department, Rutherford County Emergency Management, Lake Lure Police Department, Chimney Rock Fire Department, Bills Creek Fire Department, Fairfield Fire Department, Broad River Fire Department, and Green Hill Fire Department.
For more information, contact PIO Victoria Tillotson, NC Forest Service 919-500-8757 Victoria.Tillotson@ncagr.gov
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