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Mountain residents, firefighters concerned over dry conditions

WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. — Concerned firefighters hope they won’t see a repeat of last fall’s historic fire season when thousands of acres were burned.

They are worried because of the recent stretch of dry weather.

Gwendolyn Coffey's 13-year old son was hospitalized during the Horton Fire that burned nearly 1,400 acres.

"My little boy got smoke inhalation and ended up going to the doctor for that, and got treated for that, but pretty concerning up here," Coffey said.

Firefighters monitored dry conditions near Lenoir on Tuesday.

It has been more than two weeks since the area has seen rain.

"A sprinkle of rain would help us rest better at night," Caldwell County Ranger Rusty Dellinger said.

Dellinger has been fighting fires for 30 years and said it is not nearly as dry as it was last fall when western North Carolina went two months without rain.

"With the number of fires, it was hard to contain them and once we had them contained, it was hard to put them to bed and put them out because there was so much mop-up to be done," Dellinger said.

Fortunately, this summer there has been more rain than there was last year, but no one is letting their guard down.

Coffey said there were several days last fall where she couldn't go outside because the smoke was so thick. Like everyone here, she is hoping for a wetter fall this year.

"Once the leaves start falling, it becomes a little concerning,” Coffey said. “Everything up here is woods, and there's not a whole lot you can do to get away from it."

Investigators said they still have not determined the cause of the fire.

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