Wildfire still burning in N.C.

RALEIGH, N.C., June 10 (UPI) -- Firefighters in coastal North Carolina feared Tuesday that a coming cold front could be accompanied by high winds that would spread a large wildfire.

The blaze in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge began June 1 with a lightning strike. It has burned 35,000 acres, more than the yearly average consumed by wildfires in North Carolina, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

The Interagency Fire Center described the blaze as 40 percent contained. Scores of firefighters have been working the fire on the ground, while tanker planes and helicopters fight it from the air.

The refuge, with more than 110,000 acres spread across three counties, includes the southern end of the Great Dismal Swamp, which lies on the border between Virginia and North Carolina. It is important habitat for migratory ducks and geese.