The fire's growth rate has slowed over the past couple of days, but is expected to ramp back up later this week due to high winds.
As of Tuesday evening, the fire was at 4,480 acres and containment had increased to 19 percent, according to the N.C. Forest Service. Low temperatures and a jump in relative humidity Monday night and into Tuesday morning helped slow the fire's advance.
Winds remained calm through most of the day Tuesday as crews worked to make sure containment lines were clear of any debris that might allow the fire to traverse those lines. They also continued to make sure the fire stayed away from structures, according to Public Information Officer Victoria Tillotson.
But those conditions aren't expected to last. High winds are predicted for later in the week, set to reignite the fire's typically aggressive growth.
A release Tuesday afternoon from the North Carolina and U.S. forest services says "the weather has not been conducive for large fire growth the past couple days, but those conditions will change later this week. Fire managers are now planning for this fire growth potential by establishing contingency lines should primary containment lines not hold."
Andy Lyon, public information officer with the N.C. Forest Service, said the estimated containment date for the fire is Dec. 1.
Firefighters from all over from all over the state and country have been assisting local crews. Most of the outside agencies work 14-day shifts. Whether or not those agencies will be able to stay beyond 14 days, Lyon said, depends on the individual agencies and if they get permission.
"Some of us have the ability to extend," Lyon said. Some resources from the N.C. Forest Service have already been extended to 21 days.
Weather conditions expected to worsen
Harry Gerapetritis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said a very weak front is expected to come in Thursday with little relief. A stronger, but faster moving, front is expected to hit the area Saturday, bringing a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain.
"That's going to move over so fast, we won't see much rain," Gerapetritis said. "So that's not going to help the wildfires."
Gusty winds are also forecast for Saturday night into Sunday.
"It's really not looking good for the next week," he said.
Firefighting costs
Headed into the 10th day of the fire Tuesday, Tillotson said costs for the N.C. Forest Service had hit $2,126,335. That does not include the costs of the more than 500 structural firefighters who have come to help from all over the state, even as far away as Chapel Hill and Pamlico County. Structural firefighters are working to protect buildings in the path of the flames.
There are 296 wildlands firefighters working on shifts, including some from as far away as Alaska, Arizona, Oregon, Florida and Oklahoma. Tillotson said that usually they work on 18-day dispatches, with one or two days for travel and 14 days working the fire.
For structural firefighters, that's usually more of a three- to seven-day stretch, she added.
A de facto village has sprung up around the incident command post at the Lake Lure Police Department, with sleeping tents, a dining tent, command tents and fire engines, pickup trucks and other vehicles covering the large grassy area.
More evacuations ordered
So far, no structures have burned and no injuries among firefighters have been reported, Tillotson said. A number of residents were allowed to return to their homes starting at noon Tuesday, in the neighborhoods along Boys Camp Road. By mid-afternoon, cars were filing onto the road.
The lifting of that evacuation order is thanks to the eastern containment line of the fire, which firefighters are confident will hold. The line has been held since Nov. 8, according to Public Information Officer Carrie Harmon.
Evacuations have affected around 1,000 people, Tillotson said. Tuesday afternoon, Henderson County ordered more evacuations, to take place today in the area of Highway 9 between Highway 74-A and Shumont Road.
The fire has moved into Henderson County, and Harmon said firefighters will use whatever they can, such as paved roads, streams or other geographic boundaries, bulldozer lines and more to stop the fire. But once it gets around Highway 9 and Shumont Road, a bigger effort will be made to make sure the fire stops before hitting more populated areas.
Henderson County Emergency Management and county sheriff's deputies were informing residents, and details are available by calling the Party Rock Fire Information Center at 828-513-2500.
Lyon said phones have been ringing constantly as people inquire about evacuations and the spread of the fire, including homeowners worried about their homes.
One of those calls came from a Florida resident whose 92-year-old father lives in the area, in an attempt to make plans in case of an evacuation. Another call came from someone in Puerto Rico who had a vacation planned locally and was trying to decide whether to make the trip.
Protecting homes
Local firefighters have been among those working on structure protection for the fire as it closes in on Henderson County communities, including Edneyville Firefighter Lowell Griffin, who was stationed at a home off Shumont Road Tuesday, watching the fire come over the top of a nearby ridge.
"The Forest Service has been able to predict this fire movement and give us plenty of notice (as to) where we need to be set up," Griffin told reporters Tuesday. "Our strategy right now is just to prepare these homes that are set in what we call an urban interface environment," or homes built in the woods.
Command has painstakingly located just about every structure in the area, allowing crews to situate at vital areas throughout, he said.
That means firefighters have to prepare those homes to make them as fire-resistant as possible, moving and clearing debris. They will take suppression action if the need arises.
It's a "hurry-up-and-wait" situation, he added, as they take tactical positions and wait on the fire.
So far, the biggest challenges have been the steep, rough terrain, extremely dry conditions and wind, he said.
"In this region, this is definitely the largest thing ... that I've ever been a part of," Griffin said.
Crews are looking to stop the fire's spread, but when there's such a massive area, there's no way to go in and cool the fire down, he said. There will be areas within the fire line that could burn for months.
Short-term, he said, the goal is to prevent the spread and minimize damage for residents.
Air quality concerns
Regional air quality resulting from the fire has also been a major concern, as smoke remains low across the county and region from this and other wildfires.
Griffin said the air quality near the fire varied throughout the day Tuesday, dependent on air currents and the type of fuel it was burning.
Harmon said that unfortunately the smoke and particulate matter in the area are dependent on the size of the fire, and "it's not necessarily something that can be avoided, because it's just a cause-and-effect-type situation."
Another big factor is wind direction and the inversion, she said, created when cooling temperatures increases moisture in the air, creating a "ceiling effect" that keeps the smoke low over the ground.
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