East Tower Fire in mainland Dare County covers 1,200 acres, is 0% contained after a day
- Corinne Saunders
- 22 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 12 minutes ago
A 1,200-acre wildfire in Dare County started on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, according to Fire.airnow.gov. (Photo courtesy Fire.airnow.gov)
By Corinne Saunders
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The East Tower Fire, a 1,200-acre wildfire on the Dare County mainland, is 0% contained as of late Thursday afternoon, according to a North Carolina Forest Service spokesperson.
Located south of the Dare County Bombing Range in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, the fire started Wednesday and was human-caused, according to information on the Fire.airnow.gov website.
However, according to the N.C. Forest Service, the cause remains undetermined.
“The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation,” said Philip Jackson, public information officer for the N.C. Forest Service.
As of publication time, the fire remains listed as affecting 250 acres on the N.C. Forest Service’s wildfire public viewer map, but Jackson said it has not spread today.
“The East Tower Fire in Dare County is currently 1,200 acres in size due to more accurate mapping,” Jackson said. “The fire has not grown in size today.”
No structures have burned or have been threatened by the fire, he added.
“The fire is being managed by the N.C. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under unified command,” he said.
“Aviation resources have been successful in holding the fire to its current footprint,” Jackson said. “The plan to use aerial suppression as the primary means to combat the fire will continue using both state and federal aircraft resources.”
Given the south wind expected to turn southwest on Friday, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, smoke from the fire could affect air quality on Roanoke Island and the northern Outer Banks.
Nags Head Fire Rescue shared on its Facebook page on Wednesday that people may smell smoke from the “wildland fire at the Dare County Bombing Range.”
In a Thursday update, Nags Head Fire Rescue wrote: “We have been told to expect more smoke later today. Conditions could also worsen this evening as cooler air allows smoke to settle closer to the ground. These impacts may persist for another day or so.”
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