VIDEO: Two-alarm fire breaks out in junk pile at Wanchese scrap yard

Fire burning in a scrap pile at DART in Wanchese on April 19, 2021 [photo courtesy Amy Baum]

A fire broke out Monday afternoon at a junkyard on southern Roanoke Island, prompting a two-alarm response.

Crews from the Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department were called to Dare Area Recycling Technologies on Davis Landing Road in Wanchese at 2:34 p.m. to a fire in progress in a pile of scrap material.

“The initial explosion felt like something big literally hit our house it shook so hard,” said Amy Baum, who lives next door and provided us with video of the scene during the peak of the fire:

A second-alarm was issued at 2:53 p.m., with a request for response from Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills firefighters.

Scanner traffic indicated crews had made little progress in knocking down the fire as of 3:05 p.m. Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department was requested to send a crew to the scene at 3:29 p.m. Crews from Manns Harbor and Colington volunteer fire departments were also on scene.

Active flames had stopped showing by 3:40 p.m., but smoke continued to pour from the pile as fire crews sprayed it with water, according to Baum.

At 3:53 p.m., scene command said they were breaking up the pile of scrap with an excavator while dousing it water and were making good progress in extinguishing the fire.

At 4:10 p.m., command said they continue to make progress extinguishing the fire and that all units still enroute could switch to non-emergency response.

The fire was out around 6 p.m., and has been ruled by the Dare County Fire Marshal as an accident. No injuries were reported.

Another view from next door neighbor of the fire at DART in Wanchese on April 19, 2021. [photo courtesy Amy Baum]
View of smoke from the fire at DART from the Cora Mae Basnight Bridge in downtown Manteo. [photo courtesy Julia Meadows]
View from the U.S. 64 causeway. [Lisa Brickhouse photo]

This is a developing story, stay with OBX Today for updates.

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Sam Walker was news director for OBXToday.com, Beach 104, 99.1 The Sound, Big 94.5 WCMS and Z 92.3 from August 2011 to March 2022.