Fire Burns 10 Acres

A grass and woods fire burned nearly 10 acres Saturday afternoon on Highway 70 East of Smithfield near Yelverton Grove Road . Smithfield and Pine Level fire crews were joined by the NC Forestry Service in working to contain the fire. Smithfield Fire Marshal Paul Whitehurst said an individual was burning leaves when high winds caused the fire to get out of hand. It took crews about two hours to fully contain the fire. Forestry officials brought in a plow to dig a line around the fire to prevent it from spreading.

Smithfield firemen Brett Renfrow and Chris Raynor (right) spray water to contain the perimeter of a 10 acre grass and woods fire on US70 East Saturday afternoon.