July 06, 2011
By: Jana Bell
Homeowners in North Carolina's Bladen and Cumberland counties have been evacuated as a wildfire continues to grow in size and reach.
Several residents have already had to contact their homeowners insurance companies after a wildfire on the county line destroyed three Bladen County homes and threatened 10 others, according to reports. The blaze started from a lightning strike on June 20 and destroyed three homes within its first 48 hours, reported the Associated Press, however it was mostly contained until Sunday. The fire has since doubled in size, expanding from 3,000 acres and approaching 6,000 acres as of Tuesday.
WTVD-TV reports air quality along Interstate 95 has been poor. Fire officials told the network the blaze is burning through organic soil, which should continue to fuel it for weeks, leading to poor air conditions.
"Until yesterday, the house was fairly secure. But overnight last night, with the smoke so bad, it did get into the house. So might as well be outside as opposed to inside," homeowner Barbara Bullard told the station.
The blaze is one of several to cause extensive property damage in recent weeks, resulting in a number of claims at North Carolina homeowers insurance companies. Fires in Pender and Dare counties have burned tens of thousands of acres, the AP reported.
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