NEW BERN, N.C. -- Firefighters have built a containment line around a wildfire in a North Carolina national forest that has burned nearly 21,250 acres.
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Donald Simon said Tuesday the line should stop the fire in the Croatan National Forest from spreading. He says officials hope firefighters can knock back the flames and have the fire under control soon.
The fire started as a prescribed burn in Craven County last week.
Smoke from the blaze has prompted the state Division of Air Quality to issue a Code Red advisory for portions of Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties, and a Code Orange warning for Beaufort, Craven, Hyde, Jones, Martin, Pamlico, Pitt, Jones and Washington counties.
Monitors as far west as Raleigh and as far north as Tarboro have detected smoke particles.