‘No indication of smoke’, East Tower Fire hot spots monitored, N.C. Forest Service says
- Corinne Saunders
- 15 minutes ago
- 2 min read
An aerial view of Dare County land affected by the East Tower Fire on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Photo courtesy N.C. Forest Service)
By Corinne Saunders
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The 1,200-acre East Tower Fire in mainland Dare County is not emitting smoke but is being monitored for hot spots, a North Carolina Forest Service spokesperson said on Friday afternoon.
“Earlier today, a drone flight showed no indication of smoke from the fire area,” said Christie Adams, information and education branch head for the N.C. Forest Service.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a Type 1 helicopter on the fire today to address any hot spots,” Adams said in an email. “During today’s operational period, an infrared flight will be conducted to detect any residual heat. Until the area receives significant rainfall, firefighting personnel will continue to use drones and aircraft to monitor for hot spots.”
Type 1 helicopters can carry 700 gallons of water or retardant, according to the National Interagency Fire Center website.
“Type 1 helicopters are the largest, fastest flying and the most expensive helicopters used on wildland fires,” the National Interagency Fire Center website says.
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.
The N.C. Forest Service said on Thursday that the cause remains undetermined.
“The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation,” Philip Jackson, public information officer for the N.C. Forest Service, told Outer Banks Insider.
Fire.airnow.gov listed the East Tower Fire’s activity level as “active” on Thursday. It listed the activity level as “minimal” as of publication time on Friday.
The N.C. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are continuing to jointly manage the East Tower Fire, according to Adams.
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