Tyrrell County residents speak as large fire remains 48% contained

TYRRELL COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Foresters continue to battle a huge fire burning in Tyrrell County.

The North Carolina Forest Service said late Wednesday afternoon that the Last Resort Fire remains at 48% contained.

It adjusted the size of the fire down slightly to 5,293 acres.

Seventy-two employees from the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working on bringing the fire under control.

The fire started last week when a debris burn on private land jumped containment.

State foresters say people in Plymouth, Columbia, and Belhaven can expect smoke from the fire into Thursday morning.

The fire is located near Creswell, which is close to the Tyrrell County line.

Residents in the small town like Michael Cabarrus say he can’t go anywhere without smelling smoke, which is frustrating because he says no one wants to constantly inhale it.

“I would have to say the smell of smoke is probably due to wind changes,” Cabarrus said. “Some residents down in Columbia say they’ve managed all the smoke well and that’s like 20 mins away from here.”

Cabarrus continued by saying, “My advice for the people out there who are fighting it is to stay safe. For the people that aren’t fighting it, don’t burn stuff that doesn’t need to be burned.”

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