Wayne Co. salvage fire still burning after 2 days

The fire occurred at National Salvage & Service Corporation on Old Mt. Olive Highway in Dudley. County officials said the 911 center got a call reporting the flames just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday. As the sun rose, the scale of the full-alarm fire came into focus, with flames and smoke rising high above the tree line.

The fire is contained but still burning Monday.

There are still areas of the site burning and smoking, which is estimated to continue for the next few days. Units will remain on site over the next several days to monitor the fire and be able to respond to any issues.

Wayne County Fire Marshal Bryan Taylor said people who live nearby should limit time outside and wear an N-95 mask to filter out the toxic chemicals in the smoke.

"All smoke is not healthy, but this just adds an additional concern there for the public to stay out of it as much as possible," Taylor said.

Taylor said he is avoiding the air outside.

"It’s kind of like a burning smell, not like burning smoke, but like a burn the back of your throat kind of feeling," Taylor said.

In Dudley, local, state and federal investigators are working to determine what started the fire.

There are still no injuries to report, and no homes or businesses in the area were damaged.

All roads have reopened.

The wind was a salvation in salvaging the McCary family home. Stacie McCary watched from across the street on Saturday as fire ripped through rows of railroad ties at National Salvage and Service Corporation.

"[It was] just intense, especially right over there close to the road," McCary said. "Just huge flames."

First responders are letting the fire smolder and burn out.

While the winds have shifted to blow the remaining smoke toward the McCary's home, the fire is contained.

"[I've been closing] up the windows, doors," McCary said. "[I've tried] to keep the heat from running too much and try to keep the smoky air out of the house.

"It’s pretty intense breathing all this in."

Local firefighters were relieved overnight by over 20 different fire crews from neighboring towns and counties. The out-of-county crews were released Sunday morning.

The site is next to a rail line and the flames were drifting toward the railroad by late morning. Trains were rerouted by CSX to avoid the fire.

The facility recycles railroad ties for fuel and landscaping. Taylor said there have been fires at the facility before, but none to the same magnitude of the fire that started Saturday.

The ties are laced with creosote, a wood preservative, which prompted the large amount of smoke.

The North Carolina Forest Service has been assisting with air drops.

The fire continued to grow Saturday afternoon. At one point, there were 17 fire departments and more than 100 people at the scene responding to the fire.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Wayne County EMS, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Department of Transportation and American Red Cross all responded.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office Fire Investigation team, North Carolina Forest Service, NC State Bureau of Investigation and North Carolina Department of Insurance are all investigating the fire.