RALEIGH (AP) ó Officials battling a massive wildfire in eastern North Carolina say it could be months before they get the major rainfall needed to extingish the blaze.
Fire command center spokesman Dean McAlister said Thursday that forecasters arenít predicting more than 2 inches of rain in and around the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge for either June or July.
But he said a hurricane or tropical storm could change that.
Firefighters are continuing to spray water on hotspots in the smoldering peat soil. Crews have drained three of the 5 inches allowed from Lake Phelps to douse the burning soil.
The fire has burned roughly 41,000 acres in the sparsely populated area of three eastern counties. It remains 70 percent contained.