Firefighters pulling double duty battling wildfire
By Hannah Mackenzie
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LAKE LURE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Several firefighters with the Lake Lure Volunteer Fire Department in Rutherford County are pulling double duty Wednesday, Dec. 1, as they work to extinguish the Huntsville Mountain fire in McDowell County.
“We’ve got two or three [firefighters] out of this department that [live] and also volunteer [as firefighters] in McDowell County,” Dustin Waycaster, chief of the Lake Lure Volunteer Fire Department said. “And a couple of our guys work with the North Carolina Forest Service as well.”
Five years ago, almost to the day, the Lake Lure Volunteer Fire Department, with help from many surrounding crews (including some from McDowell County), were finally able to get the Party Rock fire under control.
The fire which scorched more than 7,000 acres took two-and-a-half weeks to extinguish, Waycaster said. Fortunately, he said there were no reported injuries or property damage.
“It involved three counties and burned through multiple fire districts,” Waycaster said. “We had a lot of structures to work around and protect and that was the main thing.”
In his 20-year career in the fire service, Lake Lure Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Melton said the Party Rock fire was the toughest he’s battled.
“Just some extremely rough conditions to hike up to the fire where it originally started,” Melton said. “Fighting the fire there with pretty much a cliff right below you, so you had to be very careful how you stepped and where you stepped.”
The flames were so hot, Melton said his boots melted.
According to Waycaster, the similarities between the Party Rock and Huntsville Mountain fires are striking. He said low humidity combined with unseasonably high temperatures and gusty winds are feeding the flames – just like in 2016.
“We’re just hoping and praying for some rain,” Waycaster said.
Until then, the Lake Lure Volunteer Fire Department is on standby to return a favor five years later.
“I feel like I owe them,” Melton said. “They came and helped us. We’re just waiting and we’re ready.”
The North Carolina Forest Service has issued a statewide burn ban. According to Waycaster, their department spent much of Wednesday enforcing the ban. Violators can be fined $100 and are liable for court costs as well as any damage caused.
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