“I would like to see the roads fixed:” Boiling Spring Lakes residents voice concerns of traffic safety amid major fire

"There are folks suffering from the roads not being done."

BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) –In Boiling Spring Lakes, the North Carolina Forest Service says the ‘Sunset Road fire’ is still affecting about 1,300 acres and is %15 contained. Tuesday evening, fire personnel made progress working around the edge of the fire, putting out smoldering areas and reinforcing existing fire lines. The fire began on Friday. Thankfully, no homes have been destroyed. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
However, safety concerns are beginning to rise among Boiling Spring Lakes residents. At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, a few residents expressed how concerning it is for them.

“I would like to see the roads fixed,” said resident Kristy Dail.

Kristy Dail has lived in the area for four years now. She says because of all the detours, citizens’ and first responders’ safety is a concern — especially during moments like this big fire.

“There are three main roads that bring you to this end of the county. 211 is being worked on. So, they’ve got their roads open and shut- traffic is horrendously backed up, so everyone is trying to use 87. When 87 was shut down from the smoke, what was left? 133. Right now, 133 is closed because of the bridge,” Dail explained.

The only issue is that these are state maintained roads. We contacted the State Department of Transportation for timelines on their projects and how the closures impose safety concerns. We have not heard back from them yet.

“There are folks suffering from the roads not being done. Not that it’s these people’s fault or those people’s fault – it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. Let’s get it done,” Dail said.