Fire ranger: Leland wildfire cause ‘undetermined,’ railroad probable

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A ranger with the NC Forest Service says the cause of a wildfire that forced the evacuations of several residential areas is undetermined. A nearby railroad is a probable cause, but would likely never be changed to a definite cause, he said.

The fire happened earlier this month near Leland off of Highway 74/76. In a report sent to WWAY last week, the fire consumed more than 460 acres; 89 homes and 2 structures were named in the report as protected resources. Five homes were damaged and two structures were destroyed; the damage to the homes was estimated at $100,000 while the damage to the structures was estimated at $8,000.

Bill Walker told WWAY then the cause was undetermined; today, he said while a nearby railroad is the probable cause, they’re unable to make that cause definitive.