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Mandatory evacuations lifted for Boiling Spring Lakes

A map of the forest fire in Brunswick County. The fire, outlined in red, straddles both sides of Highway 87.
Courtesy of the North Carolina Forest Service
The forest fire has been burning since Friday.

Brunswick County has lifted its evacuation orders and closed the emergency shelter at South Brunswick High School. Still, authorities continue to battle the forest fire that ignited on Monday, with FEMA stepping in to cover part of the costs.

The Forest Service says the fire has now reached approximately 1,400 acres — that's about two square miles. As of 11 a.m. Monday, the fire was only 10 percent contained.

Still, the county has lifted the mandatory evacuation orders and closed the emergency shelter at South Brunswick High School. There are still no reported injuries and no homes destroyed.

Crews are still working to contain the fire, but Brunswick County's windy weather has made that job difficult. They're asking residents to continue avoiding the fire area.

Brunswick County has also issued a code orange air quality warning. That means the air is likely to be irritating to children, elders, and people with heart or lung related issues. That air quality warning will be in effect through midnight on Monday.

FEMA regional administrator Robert Samaan also announced that wildfire emergency response costs would be partly covered by the federal government. State officials submitted a request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant on Friday, which would cover up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs.

Read the update from the N.C. Forest Service in full below.

Nikolai Mather is a Report for America corps member from Pittsboro, North Carolina. He covers rural communities in Pender County, Brunswick County and Columbus County. He graduated from UNC Charlotte with degrees in genocide studies and political science. Prior to his work with WHQR, he covered religion in Athens, Georgia and local politics in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his spare time, he likes working on cars and playing the harmonica. You can reach him at nmather@whqr.org.